Scoring methodology · Ice cream
Every ice cream product is evaluated against 8 rules, worth a total of 130 points. Your score is the percentage of points the product earns on what we actually know about it.
Quality score
Each rule contributes points up to a known maximum. We sum them, divide by the total possible, and that's the headline number on the product.
Unknowns
If we couldn't verify an attribute, that rule earns zero. Brands aren't rewarded for non-disclosure, and we don't fill the gap with a guess.
clean_ingredients
No harmful contaminants flagged. Severity- and amount-weighted against food guidelines (per-serving MADL) using the shared food-path penalty math.
lab_indexed
A full third-party lab report has been indexed for this product. For dairy products specifically this catches pesticide and antibiotic residues that brand-submitted data tends to miss.
packaging
Container material. Glass jars and paperboard score at the top; PET / polystyrene / generic plastic at the bottom. Generic "container" / "bottle" with no material signal lands mid-tier.
recognized_certifications
Product carries at least one recognized third-party certification (USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project, Certified Humane, Regenerative Organic, etc.).
dairy_quality
For dairy ice cream: grass-fed (+3), certified organic (+3), rBST-free or no-added-hormones (+3), certified humane (+1). For plant-based ice cream this rule reports "Plant-based (N/A)" with a neutral 5/10 — non-dairy products are not penalized for not being dairy, but they don't earn dairy-specific credit either.
stabilizers
Penalizes presence of common ice-cream stabilizers and emulsifiers. Carrageenan and polysorbate 80 weigh heaviest due to inflammation / gut-permeability literature (-4 each). Mono- and diglycerides, cellulose gum, guar gum (-2 each). Locust bean / carob bean gum and xanthan gum are softer signals (-1). Zero stabilizers earns full 10.
added_sugar
Per-serving added sugar with ice-cream-realistic thresholds (most ice cream is 14–22 g per serving). ≤6 g earns full credit (low-sugar / sugar-free); 6–12 g partial; 12–18 g typical; 18–25 g high; >25 g zero. Falls back to "Total Sugars" when "Added Sugars" is undisclosed.
saturated_fat
Per-serving saturated fat. Deliberately weighted softer than snacks-v2 because cream-based ice cream is inherently fatty — the rule rewards lighter products without overly penalizing premium ones. ≤4 g full credit, 4–8 g partial, 8–14 g reduced, >14 g zero.
Scoring is a function applied to evidence. If you think a rule fired on the wrong evidence, the per-product breakdown shows the source for every contribution — each one is challengeable. The methodology itself is version-controlled and evolves in public.
