How America fell in love with ice cream

New York
CNN
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America’s old love affair with ice cream seems to be fading.

Consumption of regular dairy ice cream, which doesn’t include frozen yogurt, sorbet, or skim and low-fat ice cream, has been declining for years, according to the USDA.

In 1986, the average American ate 18 pounds of regular ice cream, according to the USDA. By 2021, the most recent year for the data, that had fallen by a third to just 12 pounds per person.

For years, ice cream was more than just a frozen dessert: It was a lifeline for American brewers during Prohibition and a way to boost morale among troops during World War II. By the 1950s, the sweet, creamy dessert had become an American treasure.

But like whole milk, soda, and red meat are past champions of the American diet, ice cream has been scrutinized for its impact on health and the environment. After peaking in the 1940s, regular ice cream per capita began to decline in the 1990s and during the 2000s as health-conscious consumers—including one Baskin-Robbins family member—turned on sugary and fatty foods or began to Treating it as an expensive occasional treat.

For years, ice cream has held a special place in the cultural and culinary history of America. A few key moments helped propel it to prominence in the 20th century, notes Matt Siegel, author of The Secret History of Food.

First, there was a ban. When alcohol became illegal, “a lot of early American breweries turned to making ice cream,” Siegel said. Anheuser-Busch and Yuengling started making the remedy. “The ingredients of the ice cream—the fat and the sugar—made a decent alternative to alcohol to drown out the feelings,” said Siegel. Ice cream is the ultimate comfort food.

Drinkers have replaced the pint with a scoop, and for ice cream makers, Prohibition has been a boon.

“Manufacturers are quite optimistic about the business outlook and are of the same opinion that this year will see a significant increase compared to last year,” he noted. May 1923 issue of The Field of Ice CreamIce Cream Trade Bulletin. “In fact they say the ice cream business is bound to increase in volume from year to year as more people are using ice cream since the nationwide ban went in and out of the parlor.”

Interest in ice cream continued into World War II, aided by the government’s use of frozen dessert to help boost morale.

“We built makeshift ice cream factories on the front lines, delivered individual ice cream boxes to the trenches and I spent over a million dollars on a floating ice cream barge which patrolled the Pacific Ocean to deliver ice cream,” Siegel said. In 1946, the United States produced the equivalent of 22.7 pounds of ice cream per capita, according to the USDA.

It “exposed large amounts of soldiers to ice cream,” said Siegel, gave soldiers a short, quiet respite, and “fueled the industry behind the ice cream.”

He noted that after the war, the new interstate highway system and the proliferation of single-use freezers helped make ice cream available on the road and at home. “Ice cream, and everything around it, was pretty much modern,” Siegel said. “It was special.”

But stirring a sundae or a cone is not the same as it was back then.

“I think part of the reason ice cream has faded is because the novelty has faded,” he said. And with growing concerns about sugar’s impact on health, ice cream’s image as a wholesome treat is fading.

It may not have helped, Siegel noted, that one of the men leading the charge against ice cream and dairy production was John Robbins, the one-time heir apparent to Baskin-Robbins’ ice cream kingdom.

After the sudden death in 1967 of Bert Baskin, Robbins’ uncle and co-founder of the ice cream empire, “I began to believe that the more ice cream you ate, the more likely you were to develop heart disease, diabetes, and obesity,” Robbins said, According to an article in Life Extension magazine.

Robbins walked away from the family business decades ago, instead devoting his attention to evangelizing plant-based diets and animal rights.

Robins “has hundreds of thousands of audiences because of his message of animal rights, conservation, and veganism.” The New York Times wrote in 1992That same year, Robbins published Eating for a Healthier Planet, which features recommendations from Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson.

Over the years, concerns about sugar (and sustainability) have become more common.

Lucas Voss, senior dairy analyst at Rabobank, believes that the health issue is one of the reasons for the decline in ice cream.

In fact, consumption of low-fat and non-fat ice cream fared better from 1986 to 2021, rising from 6.1 pounds per capita annually in 1986 to 6.4 pounds in 2021, according to USDA data.

Then there’s the fact that people have a lot more dessert options than they did in the past, Voss noted. At the grocery store, ice cream goes against packaged cookies, candy, and cake mix. The freezer aisle has frozen waffles, cheesecake, and more.

“As people have more choices and more choices, and as they become more health conscious, ice cream hasn’t won that battle,” he said.

Others think Americans don’t like ice cream anymore. It’s just that their tastes have evolved. These days, more people are craving premium options and specific flavors, which end up costing more — as their tastes become more expensive, they buy less.

Over the years, ice cream has started to come out in smaller sizes, said John Crawford, vice president of customer insights for dairy at Circana, a consumer research firm.

“There’s been a shift from these large family sizes of ice cream to individual packages,” he said. The low per capita price may reflect the fact that you are “buying less each time you buy”.

Circana has recorded a decrease in volume in recent years. According to its data, purchases of dairy ice cream by volume fell about 8% from 2018 to 2022. In that time, unit sales also fell — but dollar sales rose, showing that people are spending more for less.

He pointed out that the development in volumes has been accompanied by a growth in the types and flavors of ice cream.

“As people switched to the smaller sizes, that allowed for flavor [and] An explosion of variety.” “When you’re buying ice cream in bulk for the family, you’re buying… vanilla, you’re buying chocolate, you’re buying strawberry.” In smaller sizes, people can try new flavors or buy whatever they like, without worrying about whether they’ll like it. Like everyone.

But the smaller sizes are more expensive than the larger options, especially when they come from premium brands.

In the 2000s, premium ice cream and gelato brands such as Jeni’s, Van Leeuwen, and Talenti rose to prominence. Brands tout flavors from earl gray to goat cheese with cherries.

This shift means ice cream can be “more fun than a staple you could have in your freezer,” said Crawford.

Although the trends may be against traditional ice cream, it is still a key sector. In 2022, sales of dairy ice cream will be about $7 billion, according to Sirkana. And anyone who steps in the line at a local Scoop store on a hot summer’s night still knows the thrill of waiting for the scoop.

Deborah Lee owned an ice cream shop, Blue Ridge Ice Creams, in North Carolina for about 28 years before retiring. Today, she teaches aspiring ice cream entrepreneurs how to make ice cream.

She added that the product’s timelessness is “the reason I go for ice cream. I think it’s here to stay.”