Ice cream formulation and processing have historically complied with the provisions of the U.S Standards of Identity (SOI) for Frozen Desserts with regard to composition, weight and, specifically, allowable ingredients.
According to 2017 ice cream research from global market research firm Mintel, only 11% of U.S. consumers claim to be cutting back on ice cream or frozen treats for health-related reasons. What’s more, 10% of consumers went on record as actively avoiding healthy frozen dairy treats because, well, frozen dairy is supposed to be a treat, not a health food.
Riding a two-year growth wave and boasting a slew of innovative new products, the ice cream segment takes the title of MOST OPTIMISTIC in dairy’s class of 2017.
Ice cream's recent comeback — which began in earnest last year — shows no signs of waning. Retail sales of ice cream in the United States rose a respectable 3.9% to $6.1 billion during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 6, 2017, according to data from Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI). Unit sales climbed 2.6% to 1.6 billion.