Icepocalypse, Now: Ice Cream Consumption Dropped by 2.6bn Litres Last Year

The world is facing its next great (self-imposed) crisis: a decline in ice cream consumption.

According to a new report by market research firm Mintel, the volume of ice cream sold in 2016 was 2.6bn litres less than the volume sold in 2015.

If you want a visual for all that uneaten ice cream, imagine 1,040 Olympic-sized swimming pools filled to the brim with the leftover strawberry flavour from your Neapolitan punnet.

Mintel says global ice cream sales fell from 15.6bn to 13bn in the space of one year; a decline of 16.7 per cent.

As the Guardian notes, that’s also in the face of a rising global population. Could it be possible that we’re seeing the beginning of the end of ice cream desserts?

Turns out ‘no’. But it might mark the end for ice cream in its current form.

Mintel says there is growth of ice cream consumption in Asia and South America, but they have “a small share of the overall market”. Consumption in China and India is also booming.

However, at this moment in time, the U.S. remains the second biggest market for ice cream, and American consumers (as well as those from other western nations, like the U.K. and, yep, Australia), are moving away from ice cream, fearing its sugar content.

Instead, we’re apparently buying up sugar-free and dairy-free alternatives, as well as premium yoghurts.

So, savour your delicious, creamy, sugary treats now, before manufacturers abandon our market entirely and give us what we apparently crave even more: kale ice cream.

Photo: Universal