I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! According to a new study from Yahoo Food, ice cream is America’s favorite desert with 41% of the population preferring the frozen sweet treat to cake (20%), pies (11%), cookies (11%), fruit (9%) and candy (7%).
Bryers is the most popular retail brand, favored by 16% of those polled. It is closely followed by fellow Unilever label Ben & Jerry’s at 15%. Rounding out the Top 10 are Häagen-Dazs (13%), Blue Bell (10%), Cold Stone Creamery (9%), Dairy Queen (8%), Baskin-Robbins (7%), Edy’s (6%), Turkey Hill (3%) and Carvel (2%).
That said, the USA’s Southland has a different darling – Blue Bell. Southerners are significantly more likely to rank it as their favorite vs. consumers in other regions. Nineteen percent say Blue Bell is tops, compared to 8% in the West, 5% in the Mid-West, and 2% in the Northeast.
Chocolate is the favorite flavor nationwide, with 16% of respondents expressing a preference for it. Cookies and Cream came in second place at 13%, followed by Vanilla (12%), Cookie Dough and Mint Chocolate Chip (11% each), Strawberry (9%), Butter Pecan (8%), Rocky Road and Coffee (6% each), and various other choices (7%).
Dairy Queen Rules
Dairy Queen ranks as the No. 1 ice cream shop in America, with 28% of the sample preferring the chain to competitors Cold Stone Creamery (20%), Baskin-Robbins (18%), Häagen-Dazs (10%), Ben & Jerry’s (9%), Carvel (4%), local drug stores/pharmacies (3%) and various other outlets (9%).
When visiting a shop, most Americans prefer to get their ice cream in cups (57%) rather than cones (43%). The favorite type of cone is waffle by far (67%), followed by sugar cone (16%), cake cone (8%) cookie cone (6%) and pretzel cone (2%).
Steady, Year-round Consumption
Eighty-six percent of Americans eat ice cream at least once a week and 56% say they consume it throughout the year.
Sixty percent of respondents want to spend less than $5 for a pint, but the sweet spot is between $3-$5 (48% prefer to spend between $3-$5).
Seventy percent of those surveyed prefer plain scoops of ice cream to soft serve product (30%).
Ice Cream and Health
Fifty-one percent of Millennials (18- to 35-year-olds) agree with the statement: “I would eat more ice cream than I do now if it weren’t unhealthy.” Only 34% of 13- to 17-year-olds (Centennials) concurs with the above statement, compared to 41% of those over age 35.
The recent uptick of ice cream product recalls has had minimal impact on consumption, as only 14% of Americans have been eating less ice cream since the latest recall. One of three persons surveyed said they didn’t even know about the recalls.
