It's a sweet state of affairs for the retail ice cream/sherbet category. Dollar sales jumped 7.6% to $7,298.8 million during the 52 weeks ending May 17, 2020, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.
The U.S. retail ice cream segment certainly has seen easier times. According to "Ice Cream and Frozen Novelties - U.S.," a report published in May 2019 by global market research firm Mintel, the mature and diverse category is "finding growth elusive."
Ice cream is big business in the United States. According to the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association, it is an $11 billion industry that supports 26,000 direct jobs and generates $1.6 billion in direct wages.
Frozen yogurt sales continue to rise above the rest, while ice cream sales stay frozen in place. The frozen novelty and ice pop novelty categories were both down.