out to pasture

Ice cream companies have been trying to cheat the dessert gods for decades.

Simple Pleasures Launched 1990

THE PITCH The NutraSweet ice cream was powered by Simplesse, a newly approved fat substitute derived from egg whites and milk protein.

WHAT HAPPENED After the stuff had received national buzz, the press tasted it: “Many reporters took a spoonful, grimaced and set down the rest of their free food uneaten—perhaps a first in the annals of journalism,” wrote Newsweek at the time. Two years later, the brand was shuttered.

Skinny Cow Launched 1994

THE PITCH Two-hundred-calorie ice cream bars and sandwiches sweetened with sucralose (Splenda).

WHAT HAPPENED More than a decade after being founded by two New York City beer distributors, the brand was acquired by Nestlé-Dreyer’s in 2004. After hitting $325 million in 2011, sales started declining with the ascent of frozen Greek yogurt. In 2017, Nestlé announced it was reformulating its recipe to remove “unfamiliar ingredients” so that it would seem more natural.

Breyers Carb Smart Launched 2003

THE PITCH Tailored to Atkins dieters, this ice cream with only 14 grams of carbs per serving uses a combination of sorbitol and polydextrose.

WHAT HAPPENED As Atkins-mania swept the nation, Carb Smart’s sales surpassed $137 million in its first year. But the market soon became crowded with competitors. Today, sales hover around $30 million.