Consumers Screaming for Healthy Ice Cream
ROCKVILLE, Md. – Although 90 percent of U.S. households purchase frozen desserts, and previous generations have enjoyed the themes of fun, indulgence and nostalgia, today's consumers are increasingly considering health.
Consumers traditionally perceive ice cream as having questionable nutritional value due to its high fat and sugar content. However, marketers have addressed these concerns over the years by introducing numerous healthier frozen desserts, such as low-fat, fat-free and no-sugar-added formulations; dairy-free alternatives; and all-natural fruit sorbets and ices. These efforts will continue to reinvigorate the mature but still growing $26-billion market for ice cream and frozen desserts, according to a new report from Packaged Facts.
Aside from companies that specialize in healthier frozen desserts, most marketers of ice cream and frozen desserts have at least one product line positioned on the basis of its nutritional profile, the report noted.
Frozen yogurt has been historically positioned as a lower-fat alternative to ice cream, but in recent years, marketers and foodservice chains have been lauding the probiotic value of its live and active cultures. Frozen Greek yogurts, which are the newest additions to the frozen desserts segment, are also being positioned as containing a high protein content.
Greek-style products are ideal for frozen yogurt consumers, who are exceptionally health-conscious and drawn to the increased protein in these products, as well as to their special flavor, according to Packaged Facts Research Director David Sprinkle.
The move toward healthier frozen dessert products has also led to new flavor trends, such as the rising popularity of coconut-flavored products. A "health halo" surrounds coconut and coconut products due to the fruit's known inherent nutritional properties, as well as its use as a substitute for sweeteners. Another factor is consumers' increasing interest in world cuisine, including food and drinks that originate in tropical locales.
More information and purchase options for the Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts in the U.S. report are available here on Packaged Facts' website.