Real Gelato.

The election is over, but we feel there is another political cause to embrace:

The definition of the word gelato.

The state Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) maintains a massive number of food “Standards” that govern exactly what can and cannot go into a named food, from “honey” to “fromage frais“. There is no definition for the word “gelato.” Without a defined term ice cream manufacturers are able to make any product and simply label it “gelato.”

But gelato is much more than just a sexy term for ice cream. Even in Italy, the true sense of what gelato means is being corrupted. The megacorporations in Italy have a stark vision of gelato; they want to serve it at every convenience store and gas station by “just adding water“. Yum.

The CDFA asked us a couple years ago to submit a temporary Standard for gelato to reduce confusion within the CDFA. We thought it was an excellent idea, because the confusion isn’t limited to the CDFA. Every day we answer questions from our guests on what gelato is. We know fellow gelato producers do the same and together we have unofficially come to a consensus on a definition. Gelato is made mostly with milk and is all natural. Now is the time to legally define it. We need to be able to tell people what gelato really is and we need to keep others from making ice cream and calling it gelato.

Milk

Gelato is mainly made from milk, and not cream, which gives it the intensity of flavor and density we all enjoy in Italy and here. Next time you buy gelato look at the weight of total fat, divided by the weight of a serving. If it’s 10% or greater, what you have is ice cream, not gelato.

Natural

But gelato is not just about being low fat. The artisanal component is just as important. We thought this was an amazing opportunity to restrict the Standard of gelato to that made from all-natural ingredients. This would be the first time we know of that a Standard would ensure consumers that the product they were consuming had no synthetic ingredients at all. A first for California, and probably a first for the nation!

Proposal

That’s it in a nutshell. You can read our actual proposal online here on the CDFA web site under the link for “Petition for Temporary Standard Approval”.

Call to Action

If you believe in our vision of gelato, and want to have the assurance that every scoop of gelato (wherever you are in California) is made with all-natural ingredients - what can you do?

On December 15, the CDFA will open their mailbox and read all the public comments about what gelato is and is not. You can help our cause by spreading the word and by writing a letter in yourself! We even have a sample letter with which you can start your letter easily.

Please address all correspondence to:

Dr. Stephen Beam
Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch
1220 N Street, Suite A-170
Sacramento, California 95814

or by fax to: (916) 653-7512.