FIGHT BACK : FOOD FIRM CAN'T BE COOL TO CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS.

Byline: David Horowitz 

I like to have a little something sweet to eat before I go to bed. I know this is probably the worst time to snack, so I'm always looking for a new treat that will fulfill my cravings for sweets without adding too many calories or fat. I've always liked sorbet, and what I've found is the new sorbets on the market are fat free, high in carbohydrates but really delicious.

Sorbet is like a smooth, flavored ice. It's not sherbet, which contains butter fat; there is no milk and no butter fat in sorbet. So, it is much lower in calories than ice cream. The ingredients for most sorbets are simply: water, fruit puree, corn syrup, pectin and flavoring. Sorbets are also usually available in a wide variety of fruit flavors so they don't get boring - at least not for me.

Recently, I got hooked on Dreyer's sorbet. Then I noticed that the outside of the carton looked like some of the sorbet had leaked out or melted slightly. I thought maybe it sat too long on the loading dock before it went into refrigeration. I didn't think there was any problem, but when I tried it, the sorbet didn't taste the same. It had a funny flavor, and even the texture seemed different.

I called Dreyer's 800-number in Oakland. A customer service representative said he would look into my complaint. They surveyed numerous stores and found out that what I said was true. Then, I got a call from a Dreyer's quality-control research analyst. He told me they had indeed changed the recipe and had since gotten other complaints like mine. Later, he called back and said Dreyer's hadn't added enough pectin to the sorbet. Pectin is a natural fruit carbohydrate that acts as a thickening agent.

After a couple of weeks, the Dreyer's rep called again and said they were now confident they had the right scoop on sorbet formula. They asked if I would test the new sorbet before they sent it out to the stores. I agreed. About a week later, they arrived by air express. I had tried the old and now the new, and I agreed this new Dreyer's sorbet was delicious. They had solved the problems both with taste and consistency.

But keep in mind: Even though sorbet is fat free, there are still calories from the natural sugar, and the numbers differ by brand. Dreyer's claims that a 4-ounce serving of its sorbet has 130 calories, but the same portion of Haagen-Dazs sorbet has only 120 calories. There's a difference in the amount of carbohydrate grams as well. That same four-ounce serving of Dreyer's has 33 carbohydrate grams, while Haagen-Dazs says a serving of its sorbet has just 30 grams. So read those labels.

The Dreyer's case makes the point that if you have a complaint, let the company or manufacturer know. They will probably do something about it. That's why they put those 800 numbers on the packages. Remember: Business is in business to stay in business and not give you the business - or they are out of business.