HOLLAND, MI -- It isn't just the new black packaging making Hudsonville Ice Cream containers look sleeker.

The new 48-ounce containers are 15 percent slimmer.

As part of a brand facelift, the ice cream tubs dropped 8 ounces. The change reflects the Michigan ice cream maker's focus on upgrading the quality of ingredients. The cost of the containers, which sells in the $5 range, will remain the same.

Vanillin, an artificial substitute for vanilla, has been replaced with natural vanilla. It's one of several stabilizing ingredients such as carrageenan and polysorbate 80 that have been replaced with more natural alternatives.

The new packaging comes with a foil seal like the ones found on yogurt containers to protect the product from being tampered with or sampled before purchase. Hudsonville is the first ice cream maker to add the safety precaution to 48-ounce tubs, the company said.

"We pride ourselves on being transparent about what we are doing. It's the same ice cream in terms of taste, but an upgrade in terms of quality from the previous package size," said CJ Ellens, whose family bought Hudsonville Ice Cream in 2003.

The change of packaging reflects what many of Hudsonville's competitors have already done. In 2008, Hudsonville shrinked its original 64-ounce half-gallon container to 56 ounces, following a trend in the industry that began in 2006.

As part of the changes, the 92-year-old Holland company is bringing back its original Creamery Blend Vanilla after a decade absence. The returning flavor uses a recipe dating back to the 1940s, made with the "purest grade" vanilla and locally sourced milk and cream.

"We feel this is what folks have asked of us," said Ellens. "We thought it was time to make that shift so we can contiue to make ice cream for 90-plus more years."