What do consumers look for when they eat ice cream?

Ice cream is one of the favorite sweets. Not to be missed on birthdays, parties or hot days.

However, Consumer tastes are changing rapidlye, and this has implications for producers who want to keep pace with the market.

Juan Carlos Hernández, director of processing for Tetra Pak Central America and the Caribbean, emphasizes the importance of helping to optimize production to create amazing products and innovations for the future.

Currently, multiple trends present a challenge to ice cream manufacturers, but there are four that set the tone:

Pleasure: Premium, but not saturated
According to Mintel’s “Year of Ice Cream Innovation” report, more than three-quarters of ice cream consumers are willing to pay more for sweet ice cream.

The inclusion of chocolate chips, sweets, nuts and cake pieces is a fast-growing premium trend. But premium ice cream is around 15% fat, and adding elements such as biscuit pieces, chocolate or salted caramel will create a more advanced product, albeit with a higher fat content, which could make it too heavy. With that in mind, manufacturers have to adjust the recipe to make the ice cream base lighter.

Convenience: no dripping
The consumer fondly remembers enjoying a cone or ice cream on a summer day while walking down the street without getting dirty. Therefore, the manufacturer must offer toppings that prevent dripping, as well as small ice creams that do not melt before ending up in a cup or with wrappers.

The melting conundrum can be solved by using emulsifiers and stabilizers to create the product which does not dripn.

Health: ice cream that is good
Healthy eating is a global trend, and modern consumers are constantly looking for alternatives healthier. The development of “better for you” recipes is already on the strategic radar of many manufacturers. The challenge lies in creating products that are healthier without compromising taste and texture by adding healthy ingredients, such as fruit and protein.

“It is possible to create very attractive products with a high fruit content and few calories. There are many possibilities,” warns Henrik Hansen, innovation manager at Tetra Pak.

Ethics: ice cream good for the planet
The trend of varieties that are good for the planet or that have, at least, a lower environmental impact, is in line with the offer of locally produced, fair trade, vegan and organic ice creams, as well as varieties in packages with a lower impact on the climate. .

Today, 6% of ice cream on the market is organic, twice as much as ten years ago. On the other hand, paper cups have a smaller impact on the environment, as do spoons that can be made from sugar cane or wooden sticks.