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H 17°, L 4°When asked what some of their favorite things about Madison are, typical answers from students might include our beautiful campus, football, affordable health care and — of course — beer pong. The Rathskeller, State Street Brats and the Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival are all big elements of what makes Madison one of the most dynamic college towns in the United States. But what really sets Madison apart from other Big Ten schools is our homemade Babcock ice cream.
Babcock Hall Dairy produces 80,000 to 100,000 gallons of ice cream per year, or between two and 2.4 gallons per student. Their ice cream line includes 25 regular flavors, with many new and innovative flavors being produced constantly. However, while Madison students are privileged enough to enjoy this world-class ice cream, there is a small but growing number of students who will never be able to try every delicious flavor. Because of one ingredient — gelatin — vegetarians and some Jewish and Muslim students are unable to savor union utopia or orange custard chocolate chip (among other varieties).
Gelatin, a colorless and odorless gelling agent, is an animal byproduct made from the acid treatment of pig skin, cow bones and hides and some “other” substances as well. Found in Jell-O as well as marshmallows, gummy worms, gummy bears and most yogurts, gelatin is used as a thickening agent for textural purposes. It gives the texture of fat while adding far fewer calories. For these reasons, gelatin seems like it would be a perfectly harmless addition to Babcock ice cream, and perhaps even beneficial (because who doesn’t want to cut down on calories?)
However, vegetarians who protest the unfair treatment of animals cannot enjoy most Babcock ice creams. For some Jewish students, the ice cream fails to follow strict kosher dietary guidelines, which state that meat and dairy (or in this case their byproducts) cannot be consumed together. Some strictly orthodox Jews may indeed have separate kitchens for preparing meat and dairy meals or may wait between one and six hours after eating one to consume the other. Obviously, Babcock ice cream is not kosher, or fit for consumption per traditional Jewish dietary guidelines. Furthermore, Islamic dietary laws forbid the consumption of pork, which is deemed unclean. Since pork products make up the majority of gelatin production, Babcock ice cream is out of the question for our Muslim students as well.
Of course, the manufacturers of Babcock ice cream do not intend to leave such important student demographics without delicious dessert. Out of consideration for vegetarians, Jews, Muslims and others, they produce Babcock super premium ice cream — conveniently priced 35 cents higher. While this is not an earth-shattering inconvenience for such students, it is a little bit annoying.
Super premium, in addition to costing more, only carries a few flavors, which pale in comparison to all the choices gelatin-eaters get. And how saddening is it to have to say no to a friend that offers you a bite of their chocolate chip peanut butter? Obviously, as farmers and scientists, the producers of Babcock ice cream look for the most efficient and cost-effective way to make a great product. This, naturally, involves using gelatin. They don’t deliberately aim to discriminate by charging a higher rate for super premium; they just aim to get the return needed. This, however, does nothing to help students like myself — a long time vegetarian — who long to try the jump around flavor.
There are several cost-competitive alternatives to gelatin, including pectin, which is mainly extracted from citrus fruits, and several types of seaweed polysaccharides with properties similar to gelatin. (Don’t worry — one of the properties they all share is tastelessness!) While this may increase the cost of producing the ice cream, Babcock manufacturers can combat this by raising the price of ice cream to make it consistent with super premium prices.
While the producers at Babcock might fear losing some business, it is highly unlikely a 35 cent price raise will deter most customers from buying the central culinary joy of our campus. But even if they did lose some business, that might be made up for with the new customers they gained from making all Babcock ice cream kosher, halal and vegetarian-friendly.
Babcock Hall Dairy has a reputation for quality, creativity and ingenuity. With ever-changing production methods, dairy science students are fast learners who embrace what the future has to offer for the improvement of their profession. By transitioning to gelatin-free ice cream, Babcock has another opportunity to do what they do best and use alternative methods to produce superior results. As a student, I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next. And as a vegetarian, I can only hope one day I’ll be able to order two scoops of blue moon and eat them while sitting in the sunshine on Bascom Hill. I want to be able to enjoy ice cream the best way — the Madison way.
Taylor Nye ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in English, French and Spanish.
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Actually, “Home-made” ice cream doesn’t set us apart in the Big Ten. Penn State and Michigan State both have their own creameries.
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You complain about how gelatin is made, but you still use milk products? Milk can only be produced after a cow has given birth to a calf which, most of the time is then killed for veal. (Veal is delicious by the way) My point is, stop splitting hairs and enjoy the f*ing ice cream.
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Did you read the rest of the article?
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No kidding
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No kidding
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No kidding
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life is choices…i know plenty of muslims and jews that eat whatever they want and still honor their religion. if ice cream is that important to your diet and happiness, eat it. youre not going to hell for eating something called “orange chocolate chip”. relax people. and if you are not strictly jewish or muslim, and refuse to eat ice cream still, you need to just get over yourself and, as was said earlier, “eat the f*cking ice cream” already.
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Typical freshman. Here’s a lesson in economics: You produce according to your demand. Obviously the demand for more flavors of “super premium” is not there. Not only that, but as a vegetarian, you should realize the animal is already dead, nothing you can do about it. Get over yourself and eat the ice cream.
Welcome to college,frosh
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-First, anyone who starts out saying that the Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival is a key element in making Madison one of the best college towns, should rethink that as that festival does not define this university as a whole.
-Students are not the only consumers of Babcock ice cream as it is sold in many other retail locations throughout the area, so no, on average students do not consumer 2-2.4 gallons per year.
-The super premium ice creams are priced higher because it is a more expensive product to produce due to the higher percent of milkfat as well as being a more dense product
-Babcock does not look for the most efficient and cost effective means to produce products, but rather strives to produce the highest quality products.
-A friend cannot offer you a bite of chocolate chip peanut butter, not because you do not consume gelatin, but because Babcock doesn�t even make that flavor�
-The super premium ice creams already use a seaweed derived stabilizer, and it does change the taste
-If you are a true ice cream connoisseur, one would be able to distinguish between gelatin and the plant derived stabilizer. Many choose gelatin because it produces a superior product.
-If Babcock made every ice cream flavor available for every student with specific dietary needs, Babcock would need to produce ice cream lines that are with no dairy, no nuts, no gluten, no egg, no sugar added. etc. etc. etc. This is not possible given Babcock�s capacity, and the ice cream would be boring and terrible.
-Dairy science students do not produce Babcock products,only food science students work in the plant.
-Finally, There are 12 frozen products available that do not use gelatin: All of the super premium ice creams, all sherbets and all of the frozen yogurts.
-Bottom line, a naive freshman should do her homework before trying to bash a great brand and products
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please stop traumatizing her, she might not write another bad article again!
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Onto your second point..the author DIDNT say that on average each student eats that much. She SIMPLY compared how much ice cream they sell to how many people go to Madison. READ thr article before tou cut it down!!
Kudos to thr author! Great article
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too bad for you that you are choosing not to eat the jump around ice cream…its amazing.
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The gelatin used in Babcock ice cream is kosher and pareve certified by the Orthodox Union. The gelatin is not what makes the ice cream not kosher, it is the process of making it. Also, the experiment kosher kitchen in Rheta’s two years back shows that there simply isnt a big enough market on this campus for kosher foods.
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That is so false. Gelatin is not and will never be certified kosher by the OU. It’s made from pig, which is obviously not kosher, dumbass.
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Actually, the certification is on file in the Babcock Quality control lab. Dumbass.
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Im in Babcock Dairy Store right now, where there are currently about 40 Muslims all enjoying the ice cream…….
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Also, a single super premium ice cream only costs 11 cents more than a regular, not 35. Many people are happy to pay this dime and penny more for the higher quality. Please research your articles more thoroughly in the future.
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Go study some more languages and get back to us with a real issue later FRESHMAN
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Overall good artical, don’t listen to the other peoples comments.
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Nice article! Thanks for standing up for those of us who don’t eat gelatin! I would really love to support Babcock Icecream, but I find myself purchasing Ben & Jerry’s. Don’t be discouraged by other people’s comments.
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i see a lot of anons that talk big, but how many of you are actually vegetarian? probably none. I myself don’t restrict my diet and am glad I don’t, but for some people its a big deal. So who are you to critize one’s life choices?
I hear badgerherald.com is a srs place to troll. great article :)
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Don’t listen to him. Get discouraged and do your research.
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I’m intrigued by this wonderful ice cream I have yet to try! Remember, a good article gets people talking. You accomplished the goal.
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So does a bad one, or a very opinionated, poorly researched one.
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Ice cream is a critical issue in today’s fast paced dairy-oriented world.
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I really don’t like the name of this article. The ice cream is accessible to everyone, some just choose not to eat it.
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I wish there was a better or more specific word used in place of ‘vegetarian’. I understand that some vegetarians do not eat meat because of the ethical consideration of animals, but many (most?) do not. There are environmental reasons, health reasons, social reasons, and reasons of personal preference for being a vegetarian, and this article paints with too broad a brush.
Try ‘vegan’, maybe? ‘Animal-rights supporters’? ‘Animal-rights vegetarian’? Something. I just don’t want to be hassled about whether or not I eat ice cream.
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You wouldnt be hasseled over whether or not you choose to eat ice cream. Thats your personal decision. When it becomes a problem is when you decide not to eat the ice cream, and then demand that the company producing the ice cream makes their product to suit your particular wants. Especially so if you take into consideration that the production of milk itself is a much more unethical practice than the production of gelatin.
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great article. a hell of a lot better than the rest of you could do.
research schmesearch. the paper is very well written and should be an example for others.
and for people who sit here and bash the article…ESPECIALLY the one who made a bulleted fucking list…
get a life.
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This opinion is disturbing and actually down right insulting. Let me explain. I am all for individuals being free to make their own choices on what to believe or what to eat etc. I even simpathise with Tylors desire to try all flavors of Ice cream. The disturbing part comes in theis quote
“While this may increase the cost of producing the ice cream, Babcock manufacturers can combat this by raising the price of ice cream to make it consistent with super premium prices”
So, what Tylor is suggesting is that the MAJORITY of people that are fine with eating animals should have to pay more for ice cream just because there is a MINORITY of people out there who have decided to deviate from the social accepted norms? Are you kidding me? You are more than welcome to make whatever religious or cullinary choices you want, but you have to understand that you are deviating from the majority opinion, and that the majority is not in the least inclined to change our behavior because of your choices. I think it’s insulting to say that we should be ok with a price increase because some people don’t agree with us.
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but the majority has the right to declare the minority’s rights invalid, just because they’re the minority?
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seriously, the Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival???? that is what makes our school great? you must be joking…
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This chick needs to take econ 101 before she starts writing about economics. She’s also insulting our school by claiming that beer pong, the Great Marijuana Harvest Festival, and ice cream are what sets Madison apart as a university. That’s definitely NOT why I came here.