Summer is fast approaching which means it?s time to start preparing for ice cream, gelato and frozen yogurt. There?s nothing more delicious than a cool, sweet treat on hot summer days and fun summer nights with friends and family. While you can enjoy ice cream and other frozen treats any day of the year, they?re definitely more tasty during the summer. In fact, more ice cream is produced in June than any other month of the year meaning more cups, cones, gelato supplies and spoons needed during the summertime.
Despite there being so many treats, snacks and desserts to choose from like cupcakes, chips, cookies and candy, Americans love their frozen treats. On average, frozen treats are enjoyed by 90 percent of U.S. households on a regular basis. That means that the average American indulges in an ice cream treat around 28.5 times each year.
So, how do all the different ice cream, frozen yogurt and gelato stores produce so much dessert each day, month and year for hungry Americans?
It takes a lot of containers, dessert cups, ice cream spoons and gelato supplies, not to mention the different employees from managers, to business owners, to ice cream scoopers, to those working in the dairy industry. This dessert industry has to be able to produce around 1.5 billion gallons of desserts in order to keep up with the supply demanded by Americans.
This even affects the dairy industry as it must produce enough milk to meet the demand needed to make the ice cream, gelato supplies and frozen yogurt. Currently, U.S. dairy farmers allocate around 9 percent of their overall milk production to produce ice cream. The reason there isn?t a demand for more of dairy farmer?s milk for ice cream is that generally ice cream becomes 50 percent air after the churning process. Milk isn?t a top priority for gelato supplies, either, given that it is 25-30 percent air and contains around 3-8 percent milkfat.
The next time you enjoy an ice cream cone, a cup of gelato or frozen yogurt topped with your favorite berries and sweet treats, keep in mind all that goes into producing that delicious frozen treat. Let us know in the comments what your favorite type of frozen dessert is! Do you like ice cream, gelato or frozen yogurt more?
