In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month (July 17, 2011) as National Ice Cream Day. He recognized ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by 90 percent of the nation's population. In the proclamation, President Reagan called for all people of the United States to observe these events with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."
With this in mind, here are some tasty tidbits about ice cream and its impressive impact on our nation.
The Scoop About Ice Cream
- Each American consumes a yearly average of 23.2 quarts of ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, ices, and other commercially produced frozen dairy products.
- The Northern Central states have the highest per capita consumption of ice cream at 41.7 quarts.
- More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week.
- Ice cream and related frozen desserts are consumed by more than 90 percent of households in the United States. (Source: Mintel)
- Ice cream consumption is highest during July and August.
- The most popular flavor of ice cream in the United States is vanilla (27.8%), followed by chocolate (14.3%), strawberry (3.3%), chocolate chip (3.3%) and butter pecan (2.8%). (Source: The NPD Group's National Eating Trends In-Home Database)
- Children ages two through 12, and adults age 45 plus, eat the most ice cream per person.
- The average number of licks to polish off a single scoop ice cream cone is approximately 50.
Now, go get a scoop at one of New Jersey's old-fashioned ice cream parlors! Where does your family like to go for this cool treat? Let us know!
Source: Cowabunga Ice Cream.
