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Germany is the market leader in ice cream
The largest producer is Germany, which produced 607 million liters of ice cream according to Eurostat, followed by France (501 million liters) and Italy (492 million liters), Spain (378 million liters) and Poland (298 million liters).
EU countries differ in terms of consumption. Thus, Germany consumes about 8 liters per person per year, Poland – about 16 kg per person, Sweden – 10.87 kg, Spain – 9.65 kg.
According to Euronews, these data reflect a general European trend: the north and east of Europe traditionally consume more ice cream than large western markets.
According to the German industry association BDSI, in Germany this is equivalent to about 115-160 ice cream balls per person per year, with total sales of 540.8 million liters.
Vanilla is still driving sales
Europeans eat most of their ice cream at home. Multi-packs accounted for 252.3 million liters last year, with another 235.2 million liters for home and family consumption packs.
According to Uniteis, the association of Italian ice cream producers, vanilla remains the most popular flavor in Europe, followed by chocolate, strachatella, strawberry, hazelnut, yogurt, lemon and salted caramel.
A recent study by Premier Inn, based on an analysis of Google searches for 80 ice cream flavors, shows a growing interest in pistachio and melon ice cream, along with the traditional “big three” – vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
A separate factor in the growth of pistachio was the gastronomic trend for “Dubai chocolate”, which strengthened demand for nut flavors in Europe.
Prices are rising across Europe
According to industry data, an ice cream ball costs an average of €1.80-2.50 in Germany. In Italy and Spain, the price already exceeds €3.
Experts say the European ice cream market is in a balance between stable classics and growing demand for new flavors – especially pistachio, fruit combinations, sorbets and vegan alternatives. However, the industry’s flavor of choice is still vanilla.
