WASHINGTON, July 15, 2019 – With the average American eating more than 23 pounds of ice cream each year, one could suggest that every month is for ice cream. However, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the dairy industry are celebrating July as National Ice Cream Month with a month of activity culminating with National Ice Cream Day on July 21, 2019.
“In a town like Washington, ice cream is about as bipartisan as you can get,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “We are proud of our members who work to produce America’s most popular frozen treat and the positive impact they have in local communities.”
In 2017, about 1.4 billion gallons of ice cream and related frozen desserts were produced in the United States. Ice cream is an $11 billion industry that supports 26,000 direct jobs and generates $1.6 billion in direct wages, according to
IDFA’s Dairy Delivers®. The majority of U.S. ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers have been in business for more than 50 years, and many are still family-owned businesses.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. In the
proclamation, President Reagan called for all people of the United States to observe these events with "appropriate ceremonies and activities." IDFA and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will celebrate National Ice Cream Day from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Monday, July 22, 2019, with an ice cream social at the USDA’s Farmers Market in Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public.
IDFA partners with Research America to study U.S. ice cream data and trends on an on-going basis. New data is now being released to recognize National Ice Cream Month.
- Most ice cream is made March through July. July is the busiest production month for ice cream makers.
- Nearly two-thirds of Americans rank vanilla as their favorite ice cream flavor.
- Candy or chocolate pieces are the most popular confection, followed by cookies, brownies and cake.
- Two-fifths of ice cream makers are seeing an increased demand for premium ice cream versus 17 percent seeing an increase in gelato demand followed by 15 percent for sorbet. Demand for low-fat or non-fat ice cream ranked the lowest at just 4 percent.
- Almost half of survey respondents have been making ice cream for more than 50 years.
IDFA encourages ice cream fans around the nation to celebrate all month long. Share your own photos and social media posts using #NationalIceCreamMonth and tag @dairyidfa on
Twitter,
Facebook, and
Instagram.
More information about ice cream is available on IDFA’s website:
www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/ice-cream.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3 million jobs that generate $159 billion in wages and $620 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent 90 percent of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.
