Ice cream products that focus on nutritional benefits and pure ingredients are making a mark in the frozen dessert market, while portion-control offerings give consumers options to indulge without too much guilt.
The shelves are crowded in the frozen and refrigerated dessert cases at the grocery store. Not only do manufacturers of pies, cheesecakes and puddings have to deal with competition from each other, but ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen novelties and even dessert-style yogurts are all competition.
Processors of frozen desserts look to grow with mini-portions and exotic flavors. That recipe is already working for frozen yogurt and pudding manufacturers.
While ice cream unit sales are struggling, despite many flavor innovations, frozen puddings and pies have seen promising growth, and frozen yogurt continues to soar.