Ice cream no longer just a treat for royals. It’s National Ice Cream Day

Summer and ice cream, it just makes sense! that July is National Ice Cream Month – and today – Sunday, July 17th – is National Ice Cream Day!

According to the International Day Foods Association:

“The average American eats roughly 20 pounds of ice cream each year, or about 4 gallons. As the summer reaches peak temperatures in July, Americans celebrate National Ice Cream Month as a way to cool off and enjoy the nation’s favorite frozen treat with friends and family. Ice cream has historically been a key feature of American communities. According to an IDFA survey, most ice cream companies are family owned and have been in operation for more than 50 years! Here’s more sweet news: Ice cream companies help support the U.S. economy, contributing more than $13 billion directly to the national economy and supporting nearly 29,000 direct jobs that generate $1.8 billion in direct wages, according to IDFA’s Dairy Delivers®. In 2021, ice cream makers in the U.S. churned out more than 1.3 billion gallons of ice cream.”

There were, in 2020, approximately 428 ice cream or frozen treat manufacturing establishments in the United States.

The International Dairy Foods Association has partnered once again with Research America, Inc. to survey America’s love for all things ice cream and frozen desserts. This year’s survey is the most comprehensive to date, polling major national and regional ice cream makers and processors from IDFA’s membership, as well as hundreds of smaller scoop shops and retail ice cream makers from the North American Ice Cream Association, in addition to 1,000 American consumers.

So, what’s the scoop? According to the survey, America’s favorite flavors depend on who you ask—ice cream makers or consumers. But before you lose your sprinkles, let’s compare the two groups:

Top 5 flavors among ice cream makers and scoop shops:

1. Cookies N’ Cream
2. Vanilla
3. Chocolate
4. Mint Chocolate Chip
5. Strawberry

Top 5 flavors among consumers:

1. Chocolate
2. Cookies N’ Cream
3. Vanilla
4. Strawberry
5. Chocolate Chip

It’s clear that chocolate, vanilla, and cookies n’ cream remain the top-three flavors in the country, mirroring results from the 2017 IDFA-Research America survey. This year, however, a few new flavors entered the top-five with the emergence of strawberry and chocolate chip alongside top-five staple mint chocolate chip.

“America’s love for ice cream knows no bounds,” said IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes, D.V.M. “Comforting and satisfying as an indulgent treat, ice cream production and consumption grew throughout the COVID pandemic and sales continue to set a blazing pace at grocery, scoop shops, and corner stores. This July, celebrate National Ice Cream Month with a cone, pint, or half-gallon of your favorite flavor and know that you’re also supporting dairy farmers and manufacturers across this great nation.”

More results from the IDFA-Research America survey:

What type of container do consumers prefer?

• Waffle cones beat out sugar cones 32% to 12% among consumers, but 37% of consumers prefer to eat their ice cream out of a bowl.

What type of toppings do consumers prefer?

• Chocolate is the most popular topping sauce, beating caramel 26% to 18%. Nuts and sprinkles are the most popular dry toppings, 15% and 14%, respectively.

Which nuts do consumers prefer?

• Among nuts, pecans beat peanuts 24% to 18% among consumers.
• Ice cream makers and scoop shops report the same ranking.

What is the most popular fruit included with ice cream?

• Strawberries, at 48% of consumers. Bananas ranked second at 36%.

What is the most popular confection included in ice cream according to ice cream makers? 

• Cookies take the top spot (46%), followed by candy/chocolate pieces (27%) and brownies (19%).

When and how often do consumers eat ice cream?

• 73% of consumers consume ice cream at least once per week and 2 out of 3 consume ice cream in the evening.

Where do consumers buy their ice cream?

• 84% prefer to purchase ice cream at the grocery store and eat it at home.

When purchasing ice cream, what size container do consumers prefer?

• Almost half of consumers prefer half-gallon containers for ice cream from a grocery store; 23% prefer a pint.

Other ice cream facts from the survey:

• Sandwiches are the most popular novelty product, beating out cones 48% to 21%, followed by sticks/pops at 12%.
• While ice cream makers say they are seeing increased demand for non-dairy ice creams and plant-based ingredients, consumers rank these at the bottom of the list for most-consumed types of ice cream and frozen desserts.
• Premium and regular ice cream is 80% of the market, according to ice cream makers.
• July is the busiest month for ice cream production when nearly 3/5 of all ice cream is produced, followed by June and May.
• Two-thirds of ice cream makers say they already use or plan to incorporate more sustainable packaging solutions.

About the North American Ice Cream Association

The North American Ice Cream Association is committed to advancing the ice cream and frozen dessert industry and furthering the success of our member businesses by providing meaningful network connections and expertise, innovative educational opportunities, and ongoing strategic leadership.

About the International Dairy Foods Association

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.3 million jobs that generate $41.6 billion in direct wages and $753 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers. Together, they represent 90 percent of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world.

A little ancient ice cream history:

Traditionally the ice cream was made by making a mix of milk cream, sugar, and flavoring by the Chinese. The ice creams were eaten as a mid-meal snack and dessert, In the “olden days”, refrigerators were not commonly found in the kitchen; hence ice cream was meant only for royals. It was served during special locations. Earlier Romans prepared their version of ice cream by mixing snow with fruits and honey. The varieties were very less as compared to now. In 1920 Harry Burt got the first ice cream trucks on the streets of America Leaders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson enjoyed yummy ice cream. The First Lady Dolley Madison served ice creams during the Inaugural Ball.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation declaring it National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day. You have Kentucky to thank for that because in that year Senator Walter Dee Huddleston introduced a resolution to proclaim the month of July 1984 National Ice Cream Month and the 15th of that month National Ice Cream Day. Reagan’s proclamation stated:

“Ice cream is a nutritious and wholesome food, enjoyed by over ninety percent of the people in the United States. It enjoys a reputation as the perfect dessert and snack food. Over eight hundred and eighty-seven million gallons of ice cream were consumed in the United States in 1983.

The ice cream industry generates approximately $3.5 billion in annual sales and provides jobs for thousands of citizens. Indeed, nearly ten percent of all the milk produced by the United States dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, thereby contributing substantially to the economic well-being of the Nation’s dairy industry.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 298, has designated July 1984 as “National Ice Cream Month,” and July 15, 1984, as “National Ice Cream Day,” and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of these events.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.