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Jul 17, 2023 - Economy & Business

Americans are scooping less dairy ice cream

Hope King
Data: USDA Economic Research Service; Chart: Axios Visuals
Data: USDA Economic Research Service; Chart: Axios Visuals

Dairy ice cream consumption is likely getting squeezed by all the new competition in snacking.

  • The average American spooned just 12 pounds of the cold stuff into their body in 2021, down from over 18 pounds nearly 50 years ago, according to USDA data.

The big picture: Changing taste preferences and shrinking packages have also played a role in dairy ice cream's decline, CNN reports.

  • Dairy Queen is the most dominant ice cream chain in 74% of U.S. counties, according to an Axios data team analysis of Yelp data.

Go deeper

  • Snacking defies inflation
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