For Myself One Of The Many Pleasures Of Summer,

is strolling along with an ice cream,

in the hot summers sun, and there is the problem of course, they melt, last week, Zhongxuegao, a Chinese ice cream company known for its high-quality products, went viral on social media, after someone posted photos and videos of a Zhongxuegao ice cream next to a thermometer that showed 31 degrees Celsius, the original poster claimed that the frozen treat had been kept at that temperature for around an hour and a half, but it had clearly not melted,

this prompted other people to conduct their own experiments, including taking an open flame to the ice cream to see if it melts, I should point out that Zhongxuegao’s reputation as a high-quality ice cream producer puts them at the top end of the market, according to Chinese news sources, its cheapest ice creams are priced at 12 yuan, at todays rate £1.49 or $1.79 several times more expensive than other brands, and with higher-end ice creams reaching an incredible 160 yuan at todays rate £19.87 or $23.90,

 Zhongxuegao eventually came out with a statement to hopefully put customers’ minds at ease. It claimed to use a ‘viscosity-enhancing agent’ to prevent the ice cream from melting easily, but assuring everyone that its product still met the national food safety standards,

but here is the thing, “Is it safe for the human body to use a product that artificially prevents ice cream from melting for a long time?” one person asked on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, “Food safety is the most important thing, and practical verification is necessary to completely quell public suspicion,” a journalist for People’s Daily wrote, non melting ice cream I wonder if it will catch on over here? for the full story have a look here.