The Global Ice Cream Market

Ice cream is made and eaten in almost every country in the world. The total worldwide production of ice cream and related frozen desserts was 14.4 billion litres (1) in 2001, i.e. an average of 2.4 litres per person, worth 35 billion. Unilever and Nestle are the largest worldwide producers, with about 17 and 12% of the market respectively. A huge range of different flavours is available, including savoury ones. Differences in culture and climate produce wide variations in the amounts, types and flavours of ice cream produced and consumed in different countries. 

The USA is the largest producer of ice cream (about 6 billion 1 per annum) and has a per capita annual consumption of about 22 1 only New Zealanders eat more, with an average consumption of 261. Some 9% of all the milk produced in USA is used to make ice cream, and more than 90% of US households buy it. It is often eaten as a snack, much as biscuits are eaten in the UK. Sales of ice cream in the US in 2000 were about 20 billion ( 13 billion). Approximately two-thirds of this was sold in scoop shops, restaurants, retail outlets etc. and eaten out of the home. One-third was sold in supermarkets, grocery shops etc., mostly as half-gallon (2.21) tubs. More than half of the sales were premium ice cream low-fat ice cream, frozen yoghurt, and sherbet account for smaller ( 10%) but significant proportions of the market. Vanilla is the most popular flavour, accounting for about a quarter of 

The UK falls roughly in the middle of the list of European countries, with a per capita consumption of about 71, and annual sales of about 1.5 billion. A small number of large companies, such as Wall s (Unilever), Mars and Richmond Foods (which produces ice cream for Nestle, and several supermarkets own brands) have substantial market shares, but about half is taken by the several hundred small independent companies. These mostly employ fewer than ten people, and sell only locally. The most popular flavours in the UK are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, and, like the US, ice cream often contains inclusions to provide greater interest and variety for the consumer. Magnum is the largest single brand - 41% of adults in the UK have bought one.  

In other parts of the world, the market is very different. For example, in southeast Asia the largest demand is for refreshing products, such as water ices. Ice cream comes in flavours that seem very strange and exotic to Western palates - for example green tea and red bean ice cream in Japan, sweet corn ice cream in Malaysia, chilli ice cream in Indonesia and sesame seed ice cream in Korea. 

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