The U.S. market for ice cream and related frozen desserts neared $25 billion in 2009, with sales growth from previous years slowed somewhat by the recessionary economy. Manufacturers of retail frozen desserts and operators in the frozen dessert foodservice industry (which accounts for better than half of total category sales) adjusted their prices in order (or held the price line and reduced package sizes) to keep consumers screaming for ice cream instead of about how much it cost. Price controls and price-based promotions are likely to stay in effect as the economy slowly rebounds. So, too are cost-saving trends like the consolidation of companies and brands, as in the case of Hood and Brighams, and industry production and administrative facilities, as practiced most notably by Unilever.
But, as the Packaged Facts report on ice cream and other frozen desserts - including ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, frozen custard, water ices, non-dairy frozen desserts and frozen novelties - notes, keeping prices down will not be enough to expand sales. To do that, manufacturers and foodservice operators alike will be looking to build on the trends that have emerged over the past two years, notably a taste for tart frozen yogurt that features good-for-you probiotic bacteria that improve digestion. The Packaged Facts report suggests the likelihood of probiotics being added to other frozen desserts and includes coverage of other healthy ingredients that may soon be showing up in value-added health-oriented frozen dessert products such as prebiotics (that make probiotics more efficient), Omega-3, and...
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