National Ice Cream Day: Celebrate with your favorite frozen treat and these fun numerical facts

Sunday, July 16, is National Ice Cream Day — a celebratory day established by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

The former president also designated the month of July as National Ice Cream Month.

“[Ice cream is] a nutritious and wholesome food enjoyed by over 90% of the people in the United States,” the president shared in the proclamation.

ICE CREAM QUIZ! HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THESE SWEET FACTS ABOUT THE POPULAR DESSERT?

Here are 10 quick facts about America’s favorite frozen treat — and its impact on both the nation’s economy and the nation’s residents.

Check out this list.

1. In what year did ice cream manufacturing pick up in America? 

Ice cream has been a staple in America since it was first accounted for in 1744. 

It made an advertising appearance in the New York Gazette on May 12, 1777, according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA).

Ice cream manufacturing became an industry all its own in America in 1851, after it was pioneered in 1851 by a Baltimore milk dealer named Jacob Fussell, the IDFA continued.

2. How much ice cream was produced in 2022? 

In the year 2022, America produced 1.38 billion gallons of ice cream, the IDFA reported.

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The most popular months of ice cream production are in the early spring and summer, between the months of March and July.

3. What is the ice cream industry’s impact on the U.S. economy? 

The ice cream industry has a $13.1 billion impact on the U.S. economy and supports approximately 28,800 direct jobs, generating $1.8 billion in direct wages, Dairy Delivers shared.

The dairy industry as a whole “supports more than 3.2 million jobs that generate $49 billion in direct wages and $794 billion in overall economic impact,” the IDFA also noted.

4. What was the retail price of a gallon of ice cream 50 years ago? 

A gallon of vanilla ice cream nearly 50 years ago cost shoppers $1.29; with inflation, the cost is equivalent to $9.13 in 2023, said AARP. 

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On average, a half-gallon of ice cream currently costs $5.81, but the price may differ depending on the brand or retailer, the Federal Reserve Economic Data of St. Louis reported.

5. How many licks does it take to finish an ice cream cone? 

It takes approximately 50 licks to finish a single scoop off an ice cream cone, Hayward’s Ice cream said. 

This may be a statistic worth challenging or even beating during your celebration of National Ice Cream Day.

6. How many gallons of ice cream can a single cow produce in one day? 

Three gallons of milk go into the production of one gallon of ice cream. 

On average, a single cow can produce two to three gallons of ice cream per day, The Dairy Alliance reported.

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Dairy cows are milked two to three times a day and produce nearly six to seven gallons of milk per day, according to Midwest Dairy.

7. What is the record for most ice cream eaten? 

In 2017, top-ranking competitive eater Miki Sudo set the record for most ice cream eaten in 6 minutes at the World Ice Cream Eating Championship at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. 

Sudo consumed 16.5 pints of ice cream in the 6-minute time span, Fox News reported at the time.

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“Sudo forced herself to eat 2.75 pints of ice cream per minute, which is roughly half a cup every five and a half seconds … She consumed around 8,580 calories based on the amount in a pint of the Prairie Fields’ brand used in the contest,” Fox News also reported.

8. How much ice cream do consumers eat per year?

The average American consumes about 20 pounds of ice cream each year, the equivalent of four gallons, the IDFA stated.

Nearly 73% of consumers will eat ice cream at least once a week, while two out of three consumers will eat ice cream in the evening, the IDFA continued.

9. For how much did Dreyer’s Ice Cream insure the tongue of the company’s official taste-tester, John Harrison?

Dreyer’s Ice Cream hired John Harrison as the company’s official taste-tester. 

In 1991, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc. insured Harrison’s tongue for $1 million, with a policy written by American International Life Insurance, The Los Angeles Times reported.

“His tongue is so crucial to our business,” Jennifer Howard, the company spokesperson at the time, told the news organization.

10. How much growth is the ice cream market predicted to reach by 2029? 

The world’s craving for ice cream may play a role in the future growth of the ice cream industry.

“The global ice cream market is projected to grow from $73.61 billion in 2022 to $104.96 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.20% in forecast period, 2022-2029,” Federal Business Insights reported.