Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts in the U.S., 9th Edition

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Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts in the U.S., 9th Edition


This report examines the market for ice cream and frozen desserts in the United States. The market is composed of two sectors, retail and foodservice. Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts in the U.S., 9th Edition draws the distinction that retail outlets sell packaged ice cream and frozen desserts, while foodservice venues sell bulk ice cream and frozen desserts “by the scoop” for immediate consumption on the premises or for take-out. Some outlets sell both, but even then these are typically more heavily invested in one of the two areas, either packaged or “by the scoop.” A balance between the two types of sales is uncommon.


  • Executive Summary
    • Scope of This Report
      • Excluded Products
    • Methodology
    • The Products
    • The Market
      • Table U.S. Sales of Ice Cream and Other Frozen Desserts, 2012-2016 (in millions of dollars)
      • Table Projected U.S. Sales of Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts Through All Channels, 2015-2020 (in millions of dollars)
      • Table Usage Rates of Frozen Desserts: By Type, 2012-2016 (percent of U.S. households)
      • Table Usage Rates of Ice Cream, Sherbet, and Sorbet: By Type, 2012-2016 (percent of ice cream/sherbet households)
    • The Competitive Environment
    • The Marketplace
      • Table Ice Cream's Place Among Billion-Dollar Supermarket Categories
    • New Product Trends
    • The Consumer
      • Table Household Usage of Frozen Desserts: By Type, 2016 (percent of U.S. households)
  • The Products
    • Key Points
    • Product Breakouts
      • Product Types
      • Product Categories
      • Product Classifications
      • All Natural Definition in the Works
      • Code of Federal Regulation Provides Legal Descriptions
        • Table Frozen Dessert Product Definitions
      • Quality Grades
      • Components Affecting Quality Classifications
      • Overrun
      • Flavors
      • Sweeteners
      • Fillers
      • Mouthfeel
      • Mix-Ins
      • Quality Classifications
      • Regular
      • Premium
      • Superpremium
        • Table Ice Cream Quality Classification Characteristics
      • Packaged vs. Bulk
      • Hard-Frozen vs. Soft-Serve
      • Multi-Serve versus Single-Serve
      • Types of Milk
      • Packages Point Up Quality Distinctions
      • Free-From Labeling
  • The Market
    • Key Points
    • Market Size and Growth
      • Overall Sales Estimated at $28 billion for 2016
        • Table U.S. Sales of Ice Cream and Other Frozen Desserts, 2012-2016 (in millions of dollars)
        • Table Retail Ice Cream and Other Frozen Dessert Sales 2015-2016
        • Table IRI Tracked Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Sales, 2015-2016
      • Total Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Sales Will Near $30 Billion by 2020
        • Table Projected U.S. Sales of Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts Through All Channels, 2015-2020 (in millions of dollars)
    • Market Dynamics
      • Identifying the Market Category
      • Ice Cream in the `Free-From' Zone
      • Free-From Defined
      • "Free-From" Is Global
      • Related Issues
      • Cage-Free Eggs
      • Glycemic Index
      • Free-From Frozen Desserts
      • Arctic Zero
      • Wink
      • Protein Plus
      • Fiber's Day Is Coming
      • Variations on a Theme
      • Gelato Spreads Out
      • Superpremium on a Roll
        • Table Superpremium Versus All Ice Cream
        • Table Level of Agreement with the Statement: "I usually buy superpremium (rather than regular) ice cream," 2016 (percent of U.S. adults)
      • Sea Salt, Sea Salt Everywhere
      • Shops Continue to Source Retail Products
      • Beachy Cream
      • Salt & Straw
      • Marianne's
      • Frozen Yogurt's Decline
      • Rise of the Frozen Plant-Based Milk Desserts
      • Dairy Industry Objections to Use of Milk for Non-Dairy
      • Ice Cream as Nostalgia and Comfort Food
      • Brothers Bon Bons
      • Nestlé Ties With Hostess
      • Tillamook Waffle Cone Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
      • Comfort Food/Nostalgia Flavors
      • Custard Coming On
      • Gilles Shop Versus Retail Sales
      • International and Ethnic Influences
      • Hispanic Population Momentum
        • Table Distribution of the Projected Population by Hispanic Origin and Race for the United States, Number in Thousands and Percent: 2015 to 2060
        • Table Percentage Increase in Sales of Selected Hispanic Frozen Novelties Brands, 2015-2016
      • Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts Usage
        • Table Usage Rates of Frozen Desserts: By Type, 2012-2016 (percent of U.S. households)
        • Table Usage Rates of Ice Cream, Sherbet, and Sorbet: By Type, 2012-2016 (percent of ice cream/sherbet households)
        • Table Ice Cream/Sherbet Eaten in Last 30 Days: By Number of Quarts, 2012-2016 (percent of ice cream/sherbet households)
        • Table Usage Rates of Frozen Yogurt: By Type, 2012-2016 (percent of frozen yogurt households)
      • Increase in Away From Home Consumption
        • Table Household Eating Patterns for Ice Cream: Home vs. Away From Home, 2014 vs. 2016 (percent of U.S. adult ice cream consumers)
    • Media, Advertising, and Promotion
      • All Channels Used for Promoting Frozen Desserts
      • Breyers Broadcasts New Gelato
      • Sports Promotion: Pierre's World Series Effort
      • Cross Category Promotion: Ben & Jerry's
  • Competitive Environment
    • Key Points
    • Competitive Overview
      • From Start-Ups To Regional Favorites To Global Industry Leaders
      • Key Developments
      • Unilever's Talenti Acquisition
      • Nestlé's Partnership with R&R
      • Wells New Look
      • Dean Adds Friendly's
      • Dreyer's and Kemp's Embrace Frozen Custard
      • Blue Bell's Listeria Woes
      • Frozen Yogurt Vs. Plant-Based Frozen Desserts for The Healthy Crown
      • Category Participation
        • Table Category Participation of Selected Brands
      • Packaged Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts Shares
      • Ice Cream Shares
      • Ice Milk Shares
      • Sherbet/Sorbet/Water Ice Shares
      • Frozen Yogurt/Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts Shares
      • All Frozen Novelties Shares
      • Frozen Novelties Shares
      • Ice Cream/Ice Milk Desserts Shares
      • Ice Pops Shares
    • Marketer Profiles
      • Arctic Zero
      • Baskin-Robbins
      • Blue Bell Creameries
      • Dannon
      • Dean Foods
      • Friendly's
      • Land-O-Sun
      • Mayfield
      • Oak Farms
      • Purity Dairies
      • Eden Creamery
      • Graeter's
      • H.P. Hood
      • Hiland Dairy Foods
      • Hudsonville Creamery
      • Kemps
      • Nestlé/Dreyers
      • Dreyers/Edy's
      • Häagen-Dazs
      • Nestlé
      • Perry's
      • Prairie Farms
      • Smith Foods
      • Tillamook County Creamery
      • Turkey Hill Dairy
      • Umpqua Dairy Products
      • Unilever
      • Breyers
      • Good Humor
      • Ben & Jerry's
      • Talenti
      • United Dairy Farmers
      • Velvet Ice Cream
      • Wells Enterprises
      • WhiteWave Foods
      • Yasso
      • Demographics of Selected Leading Brands
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Ice Cream/Sherbet: By Sex, Age, and Race, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Ice Cream/Sherbet: By Education, Children in Household, and Income, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Ice Cream/Sherbet: By Region, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
      • Frozen Yogurt Brand Demographics
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Frozen Yogurt: By Sex, Race, Age, and Education, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Frozen Yogurt: By Children in the Household and Income, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Frozen Yogurt: By Region, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
      • Frozen Novelties Brand Demographics
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Frozen Novelties: By Sex, Race, Age, and Education, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Frozen Novelties: By Children in Household and Income, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Selected Leading Brands of Frozen Novelties: By Region, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
  • The Marketplace
    • Key Points
    • Retail
      • Ice Cream in the Supermarket
        • Table Ice Cream's Place Among Billion Dollar Supermarket Categories
      • Brand Loyalty Notching Up
        • Table Number of Different Brands of Ice Cream Purchased, 2014 vs. 2016 (percent of U.S. adults who personally buy ice cream in stores to take home)
      • Role of Private Label
        • Table Level of Agreement with the Statement:" Store Brand Ice Cream Is as Good Quality as Name Brand Ice Cream," 2014 vs. 2016 (percent of U.S. adults)
        • Table Private Label vs. Branded Ice Creams and Frozen Desserts
        • Table Brands of Ice Cream/Sherbet Used Most Often, 2016 (percent of ice cream/sherbet households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Store Brand Ice Cream/Sherbet, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. households)
        • Table Brands of Frozen Yogurt Eaten Most Often, 2016 (percent of frozen yogurt households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Store Brand Frozen Yogurt, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. households)
        • Table Brands of Frozen Novelties Used Most Often, 2016 (percent of frozen novelties households)
        • Table Frozen Novelties Brand Summary, 2016 (percent of frozen novelties households)
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Store Brand Frozen Novelties, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. households)
      • Expanding Distribution Among Retail Outlets
      • Ice Cream-Focused Grocery Store Chains
      • Braum's
      • Dari Mart
      • Stewart's Shops
      • Turkey Hill Minute Marts
      • United Dairy Farmers
    • Foodservice
      • Health and Wellness on the Menu
        • Table U.S. Menu Incidence for Selected Health and Wellness Terms, 2006-2016
      • Shops New and Old Look to Differentiate Themselves
      • Tipping Cow Offers Purity
      • Orange Leaf Delivers by Drone
      • Menu Penetration
      • Western U.S. Best for Ice Cream Menu Penetration
      • Ice Cream Menu Penetration Highest Among Independent Restaurants
      • Ice Cream Has Strong Presence on Many Different Cuisine Menus
      • Price Per Serving
      • Fine Dining Has Highest Price Per Serving
      • Independents Charge Most for Ice Cream
      • Price for Ice Cream Cones Triples Over Last Decade
      • Multitude of Chains Share Market
        • Table Unit Shares of Leading Ice Cream and Other Frozen Dessert Shops
      • Average Unit Volumes
        • Table Estimated U.S. Foodservice Sales of Leading Ice Cream and Other Frozen Dessert Chains
      • Foodservice Snapshots
      • Abbott's Frozen Custard
      • Andy's Frozen Custard
      • Baskin-Robbins
      • Ben & Jerry's
      • Bruster's
      • Byrne Dairy
      • Carvel
      • Cold Stone Creamery
      • Culver's
      • Dairy Queen
      • Emack & Bolio's
      • Fosters Freeze
      • Freddy's Frozen Custard
      • Freshens
      • Friendly's
      • Froyo World
      • Golden Spoon
      • Good Times Burgers and Frozen Custard
      • Graeter's
      • Häagen-Dazs
      • Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
      • Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream
      • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
      • MaggieMoo's
      • Marble Slab Creamery
      • Menchie's
      • Peachwave Frozen Yogurt
      • Pinkberry
      • Ralph's Italian Ices and Ice Cream
      • Red Mango
      • Rita's Italian Ice
      • Ritter's Frozen Custard
      • Shake Shack
      • Shake's Frozen Custard
      • Sub Zero
      • Sweet Frog
      • Tastee-Freez
      • Tasti D-Lite
      • TCBY
      • The Meadows Original Frozen Custard
      • Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt
      • U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt
      • Uncle Louie G
      • Yobe Frozen Yogurt
      • YoFresh Yogurt Café
      • Yogen Fruz
      • Yogli Mogli
      • Yogurt City
      • Yogurt Mountain
      • Yogurtland
      • Many Reasons for Foodservice Promotions
      • Community Support Promotion: Red Mango
      • Social Media Promotion: Marble Slab Creamery
      • Telecommunications Promotion: Baskin-Robbins
      • Seasonal Promotions: Cold Stone Creamery
  • Product Development and Marketing Trends
    • Key Points
    • New Product Trends
      • Theme: Nostalgia and Comfort Foods
      • Flavor Inspiration: Alcoholic Beverages
      • Alcohol Infused Ice Cream Under Scrutiny
      • Ingredients: Simpler, Cleaner, Nutrient-Dense
      • Free-From
      • Fewer Ingredients
        • Table Selected New Frozen Dessert Products with Functional Benefits
      • Mix-Ins and Mash-Ups
      • Ice Cream and Cake
      • Ice Cream and Cookies
      • Sugar and Spice
      • Up Next: Bacon Chocolate Ice Cream
      • Snacking and Portion Control
      • Representative New Frozen Dessert Products
        • Table Selected New Packaged Frozen Dessert Products
        • Table Selected New Frozen Novelty Products
        • Table Selected New Limited-Edition Frozen Dessert Products: Seasonal and Cause-Related
  • The Consumer
    • Key Points
      • Methodology
    • Packaged Facts Consumer Survey Findings
      • Almost Everyone Eats Ice Cream . . . Sometimes
        • Table Agreement With the Statement: "I Personally Buy Ice Cream in Stores to Take Home," 2014 vs. 2016 (percent of U.S. adult ice cream consumers)
      • Night Time Is the Right Time for Ice Cream
        • Table Eating Patterns for Ice Cream: Meal Occasions or Throughout the Day, 2014 vs. 2016 (percent of U.S. adult ice cream consumers)
      • At Home Purchasing Patterns Shift, Too
        • Table Frequency of Ice Cream Purchases Across the Calendar Year, 2014 vs. 2016 (percent of U.S. adults who personally buy ice cream in stores to take home)
      • More Variety in Away From Home Frozen Dessert Consumption
      • Brand Loyalty, Bargains, and Experiments
    • Simmons Consumer Survey Findings
      • Nine in 10 Households Consume Ice Cream; Half Buy Frozen Novelties
        • Table Household Usage of Frozen Desserts: By Type, 2016 (percent of U.S. households)
      • The Ice Cream/Sherbet Consumer
        • Table Ice Cream/Sherbet Eaten in Last 30 Days: By Number of Quarts, 2012-2016 (percent of ice cream/sherbet households)
      • Millennials, Nonwhites, Households with Kids Use Greater Quantities
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Ice Cream and Sherbet: By Number of Quarts Eaten Last 30 Days, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
      • Regular Ice Cream Used at Over Three Times the Rate of Sherbet
        • Table Types of Ice Cream/Sherbet Used Most Often, 2016 (percent of ice cream/sherbet households)
      • Age, Race, Presence of Children Are Powerful Indicators for Types
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Ice Cream/Sherbet: By Type Used Most Often, 2016 (index of U.S. households)
      • The Frozen Novelties Consumer
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Use of Frozen Novelties, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. households)
      • Psychographics Reveal a Busy Yet Engaged Consumer
        • Table Food Attitudes/Opinions: Users of Frozen Novelties, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. households)
        • Table Shopping Attitudes/Behaviors: Users of Frozen Novelties, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. households)
      • The Frozen Yogurt Consumer
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Consumption of Store-Bought Frozen Yogurt, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. adults)
      • Half of Frozen Yogurt Consumers Use Full-Fat Types Most Often
        • Table Types of Frozen Yogurt Used Most Often, 2016 (percent of frozen yogurt consumers)
      • Age, Presence of Children Among the Predictors of Frozen Yogurt Usage by Type
        • Table Demographic Indicators for Consumption of Frozen Yogurt: By Type Used Most Often, 2016 (index of U.S. adults)
      • Frozen Yogurt Users Are Both Mindful and Adventurous Consumers
        • Table Health Attitudes: Frozen Yogurt Consumers, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. adults)
        • Table Food Attitudes/Opinions: Frozen Yogurt Consumers, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. adults)
        • Table Shopping Attitudes/Behaviors: Frozen Yogurt Consumers, 2016 (percent and index of U.S. adults)

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