In a surprising revelation, it appears that not all ice cream cones are created equal across Europe. While Italians enjoy Cornetto ice cream made with cream and high-quality fresh milk, Czech consumers are left with a version containing reconstituted skimmed and dried whole milk. This discrepancy in product quality between Western and Eastern European countries has recently sparked debate on social media.
The State Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority is investigating the matter. The outcome will likely depend on whether the product packaging is deemed sufficiently different. If so, it wouldn’t be considered a case of dual quality, and such differentiated products could continue to be sold. However, in response to the negative social media reaction, Unilever, the ice cream manufacturer, has decided to adjust the recipe for the Czech market to match the Italian version.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Coca-Cola, for instance, uses fructose-glucose syrup instead of sugar in its products for Eastern Europe. This substitution results in a higher calorie content, which is particularly problematic for countries like the Czech Republic, which is already grappling with an obesity epidemic. The company justifies this practice by citing the use of locally available ingredients and economic reasons for using the cheaper syrup.
The issue extends beyond beverages. In Italy, Fanta contains 12% orange juice, while the Czech half-litre bottle contains only 5% orange juice concentrate. Despite the EU-wide ban on dual-quality food products, the reality of differing compositions for the same products persists—often hidden behind slightly altered packaging.
While the Czech Republic introduced an amendment to the Food and Tobacco Products Act in 2019 to prohibit dual-quality products, the current EU directive offers producers numerous loopholes. This watered-down legislation effectively allows this practice to continue if properly justified, making it challenging for supervisory authorities to prove wrongdoing. As a result, the dual quality of food products from well-known multinational brands remains a significant issue, despite some brands yielding to media pressure and unifying their recipes.