Beat the Heat with a Cool Treat

Americans really love ice cream. On average they enjoy a whopping 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year. Ninety-eight percent of all U.S. households purchase ice cream, with more sold on Sunday than any other day of the week. Eighty-seven percent have ice cream in their freezer at any given time.

July is Ice Cream Month - July 15 th is National Ice Cream Day

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) is celebrating this love for cool treats with their annual Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties promotion. You will find special deals on ice cream and novelties in your local supermarkets throughout July. You can also visit www.EasyHomeMeals.com to enter the Ice Cream & Novelties For a Year sweepstakes, and find terrific recipes and entertaining ideas.

The Latest Scoop - Cool Ice Cream & Novelties Facts

• It takes 3 gallons of whole milk to make one gallon of ice cream; a cow gives enough milk to make 2 gallons of ice cream per day (that's 730 gallons per year!)

• The most popular ice cream flavors are Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies 'n Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough; Pecan is the most popular nut flavoring, and Strawberry is the most popular fruit in ice cream; favorite ice cream topping is chocolate syrup.

• It takes about 50 licks to finish a single scoop ice cream cone; one in 10 people admit to licking the bowl clean after eating ice cream, and 1 in 5 admit to sharing with their pet.

• The Popsicle was invented by 11-year old Frank Epperson (by accident) in 1905 when he left his powdered soda pop and water mixture on the porch and discovered the next morning it had frozen around the stirring stick. He originally called it the "Epperson Icicle" then the "Epsicle" and then renamed it "Popsicle" to show it was made from soda pop.

• Cherry is the number one Popsicle flavor; twin popsicles were invented during the Depression so two children could share one treat.

• Ice cream novelties such as ice cream on sticks and ice cream bars were introduced in the 1920's; the ice cream sandwich ranks as the best-selling ice cream novelty in America.

Serving Up Summer Treats

Serving ideas for ice cream are only limited by your imagination. Sundaes, root beer floats, banana splits, milkshakes and ice cream cones are always favorites. Add a scoop on warm pie, or top a decadent brownie will always bring smiles.

Novelties are also great dessert options for the family - separately packaged and portion-controlled. And don't miss the new varieties of low calorie, high protein premium ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato and Italian ice.

If you are hosting a special event, try this truly The Best Ice Cream Cake Ever recipe - not only does it have three layers of ice cream, but it's surrounded by ice cream sandwiches! It really doesn't get much better than that.

Keeping It Cool

Proper storage and handling of ice cream and novelties helps to maintain the high quality and good taste of the products. Don't let your ice cream repeatedly soften and refreeze.

NFRA reminds you to make the ice cream aisle your last stop, to keep your frozen purchases in a separate section of the cart while shopping, and to pack your ice cream in an additional brown paper bag for the ride home. They also suggest that you store your frozen treats in the main part of the freezer, not on the door, where they are subject to more fluctuating temperatures.

About National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA)
NFRA (www.nfraweb.org) is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry. NFRA sponsors national promotions March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month and June/July Ice Cream & Novelties; and provides consumer information such as food safety guidelines, meal preparation tips, recipes and sweepstakes opportunities through its www.EasyHomeMeals.com consumer website and social media properties.

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SOURCE National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association

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