Shoppers looking for a stated cocoa percentage
If you want a small frozen treat with your continental breakfast, distinguish a cocoa percentage stated for the coating from a product described only as dark-chocolate-flavoured.
Who is this choice for?
Households sharing individual portions
Multipacks let you choose a portion for each person. Check the nutrition information and allergens for the exact product being served.
Shoppers checking allergens
Read the current pack before serving a chocolate-coated ice cream to anyone who needs to avoid milk, soya, nuts or other listed allergens.
What should you check?
Start with the coating description, then compare the amount you would serve and the information on that product's pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa content | Look for a cocoa percentage stated for the exact coating. Sainsbury's states 70% cocoa for the coating on Magnum Intense Dark; its Dark Choc Ices are described as having a dark-chocolate-flavoured coating. | I want a stated cocoa percentage, rather than judging cocoa content from the word “dark”. |
| Portion and nutrition | Compare sugars and saturates per portion, then use per-100g or per-100ml values to compare different portion sizes. Sainsbury's lists 16g sugars and 11g saturates per 100ml Magnum stick, versus 9.4g sugars and 6.2g saturates per 41g Sainsbury's choc ice. | A smaller individual portion may suit my breakfast spread, but I also want to compare what each portion contains. |
| Allergens | Read the current ingredients and precautionary allergy statement for the exact product. Sainsbury's lists milk and soya for Magnum Intense Dark and says it may contain almond. | When serving guests, I need to check whether the product suits each person's allergen requirements. |
| Frozen storage | Follow the pack's storage instructions and best-before date. Sainsbury's specifies −18°C storage for its Dark Choc Ices until the best-before date. | I need somewhere to keep the portions frozen until breakfast. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming “dark” means a stated high cocoa content
According to Sainsbury's, Magnum Intense Dark has a coating made with 70% cocoa. Its Dark Choc Ices are described as dark-chocolate-flavoured, which does not give you a cocoa percentage to compare.
If cocoa content matters, look for a percentage stated for the exact product and check whether it describes the coating rather than the whole ice cream.
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Choosing by coating without reading the nutrition label
Portion sizes differ: Sainsbury's lists 16g sugars and 11g saturates for a 100ml Magnum stick, and 9.4g sugars and 6.2g saturates for a 41g Dark Choc Ice.
Check both per-portion and per-100g or per-100ml figures before deciding how the treat fits alongside breakfast.
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Relying on a product category for allergy information
Chocolate-coated frozen desserts can carry different ingredient and precautionary allergen statements. For example, Sainsbury's lists milk and soya for Magnum Intense Dark and says it may contain almond.
Read the current physical pack for every product you intend to serve, particularly when guests have different allergen requirements.
Brand and retailer references
These examples illustrate differences between specific products; a brand name alone does not establish cocoa content or allergen suitability.
Magnum
Sainsbury's describes Magnum Intense Dark as a three-pack of 100ml ice cream sticks with a dark-chocolate coating made with 70% cocoa.
- The stated cocoa percentage applies to the coating, not the whole stick.
- Sainsbury's lists 16g sugars and 11g saturates per stick, plus milk and soya ingredients and a possible almond presence.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's Dark Choc Ices come as eight 70ml portions of vanilla-flavour ice cream in a dark-chocolate-flavoured coating.
- The listed individual serving is 41g, with 9.4g sugars and 6.2g saturates.
- The coating description does not state a cocoa percentage.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists Tesco Dark Choc Ices as an 8 x 70ml multipack.
- Check the exact product's current ingredients, nutrition and coating description before using it to decide on allergens or cocoa content.
A Joybuy product option
This option is a dark-chocolate-coated ice cream stick with a stated cocoa percentage for its coating.
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Magnum Intense Dark Chocolate Ice Cream 3 x 100ml
Consider this stick if you want an optional frozen sweet with breakfast and a stated cocoa percentage for the coating. The dark-chocolate coating is described as containing 70% cocoa; the pack has three 100ml sticks. Check the current pack for nutrition and allergens before serving: the product information lists milk and soya and says it may contain almond.
Frequently asked questions
Does 70% cocoa describe the whole Magnum ice cream stick?
No. Sainsbury's states that the dark-chocolate coating on Magnum Intense Dark is made with 70% cocoa; the figure does not describe the whole ice cream stick.
Should a dark-chocolate frozen treat be breakfast on its own?
Treat it as an optional sweet rather than the main breakfast food. NHS breakfast guidance highlights sugar and fat as things to watch and gives examples of other breakfast foods, including wholegrain cereal, wholemeal toast and plain natural yoghurt with fruit.
How can I compare different-sized sticks and choc ices?
Read both the per-portion values, which show what you would serve, and the per-100g or per-100ml values, which help compare different sizes. NHS food-label guidance explains these ways of presenting nutrition information; front-of-pack traffic lights can also show how a product is labelled for fat, saturates, sugars and salt.
Which allergens should I check?
Check the current pack of each product. Sainsbury's lists milk and soya for Magnum Intense Dark and says it may contain almond; Nuii's information for Dark Chocolate & Nordic Berry warns that it may contain peanuts, nuts and egg. Do not apply one product's statement to another.
How should dark choc ices be stored before serving?
Follow the exact pack instructions. Sainsbury's specifies storage at −18°C for its Dark Choc Ices until the best-before date.