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"Healthy" Ice Cream Shop Sues After Fox News Exposes Calorie Discrepancy
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 22, 2011
Modified Jun 22, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 22, 2011
Modified Jun 22, 2011
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Intrepid Fox 5 reporter Arnold Diaz has given us SO MUCH great television with his "Hall of Shame" investigative reports, and what does he get in return for all his dedication to shame? Legal troubles... which we suppose is only to be expected. Last month Diaz confronted Magda Abt, an operator of three D'Lites Emporium ice cream stores on Long Island. With cameras rolling, Diaz attempted to present her with lab results suggesting her "low calorie" frozen dessert contained far more calories and carbs than advertised. Thankfully, Abt's brother soon arrived on the premises to entertain us all, the Strong Island way:
Healthy Ice Cream Nutritional Controversy: MyFoxNY.com
The lawsuit contends that "Diaz and his cohorts proceeded to pursue Abt towards the D'Lites storefront whereupon Diaz began to shout—so as to make certain that others nearby could hear—that D'Lites was 'selling a lie.'" The lawsuit also claims that the lab tests commissioned by Fox 5 were conducted on unfrozen, concentrated ice cream mix, and that "the only fair way to accurately measure the nutritional value of D'Lites' ice cream is to measure the volume of the ice cream product in its frozen state as served to the customer."
But if you watch Diaz's eight minute "shame" segment—and you should!—it appears that Diaz bought samples at the store and took them directly to the "independent" lab, which determined that, among other things, a small serving of chocolate D'Lite had up to 245 calories, not the 50 calories advertised. Diaz concludes that the discrepancy arises from D'Lite employees cramming over four times the amount of ice cream into those little cups than the advertised "serving size."
HOWEVER! Reuters reports that the laboratory used by Diaz's team later issued a supplemental report that agreed with D'Lites' own nutritional claims, and the lawsuit claims that Fox 5 knowingly used the first set of results all for the sake of sensational television. Even if that's true (and how dare they besmirch Fox 5's reputation with such sordid allegations!) wow was it worth it! Fox 5 and News Corp., which is also named in the lawsuit, are standing by their shame man for now—because if they settle, the Drunken Negro Face Cookie cookie man is sure to smell blood in the water.
Tagged
arnold diaz
calories
D'Lites Emporium
diet
fox 5
ice cream
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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