Ice cream

Frozen desserts are still too much affected by the seasonal effect of consumption, which both limits their consumption period and weakens it due to the vagaries of the weather. This low level of consumption is mainly due to competition with fruit and pastries during mealtimes. Ice-cream makers are constantly striving, with ever greater creativity, to take ice cream beyond its status as a dessert, to increase on-the-go consumption and extend it beyond the warm season. The aim is to satisfy regular customers and attract new ones. In this respect, helped by favorable weather conditions in 2020, periods of confinement and a profusion of innovations, results in both volume and value reached record levels. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement, provided that we continue and amplify innovation by offering consumers new and original taste experiences throughout the year, and by meeting the major challenge of stock management (limiting out-of-stocks on shelves by optimizing supply chain responsiveness). Since the early 2000s, technology and equipment have also evolved considerably, with the aim of reducing production costs while improving product sensory quality and, consequently, consumer satisfaction. This process data sheet looks at the economic and technological aspects, with a focus on the mechanisms involved in creating and stabilizing swelling emulsions.