Global ice cream sales have been hot this year, despite the tumultuous economy and slow restaurant numbers. According to Mintel Global Market Navigator, the combined value of ice cream retailers in the top five European markets - France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom - is up to $4.6 billion from $4.1 billion in 2008.
Also, the U.S. ice cream market is expected to reach $6.8 million this year. It has rebounded strongly from last year's dismal performance.
Mintel's research concluded that premium lines account for 9 percent of international product launches in the past six months.
Manufacturers have also responded to an increased demand for healthier products, with 13 percent of all launches featuring no additives or preservatives.
Additionally, packaging trends have gravitated toward more eco-friendly or recyclable materials. In the past six months, 13 percent of ice cream products featured an environmentally-friendly packaging label, a 6 percent increase from the previous period.
Germans are the biggest ice cream consumers, with residents spending $19 per person each year. Europeans collectively favor chocolate flavors the most. In the U.S., vanilla is the flavor of choice, with chocolate second.
“The strongest ‘healthier’ trend in ice cream has been the removal of additives and preservatives, rather than the limiting of fat, sugar or calories,” said Ana Lourenco, Global Market Navigator analyst at Mintel. “There’s definitely an opportunity for more on-trend superfruit or antioxidant-rich formulations to help make ice cream appear better for you.”
