What you need to know
Canadians love ice cream. Some 90% of Canadians claim to eat single flavoured ice cream during the warmer months and with the exception of gelato, more than half of Canadians claim to eat ice cream at some point. Even with ice cream and frozen treats’ relatively high penetration, the market has softened, falling to 6.8 litres per capita in 2015 from 7.7 in 2008, a trend that is occurring across many mature markets. An aging population heightening the importance of nutritional concerns is certainly factoring into the decline. In the face of demographic pressures, this Report identifies opportunities and what considerations are more likely to resonate with different segments to inform targeted innovation and messaging strategies.
Definition
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions in soliciting consumer feedback:
Types
Single flavour ice cream (eg chocolate, vanilla)
Ice cream with mix-ins (eg caramel swirl, fruit, nuts, cake bits)
Premium/luxury ice cream (eg Häagen-Dazs)
Frozen treats (eg ice cream bars/sandwiches, popsicles)
Gelato
Frozen Yogurt
Sherbet, sorbet and ices
Packaging formats
Hand held (eg cone, on a stick, sandwich)
From a large format package (eg tub, box)
From an ice cream shop
From an individually sized cup
As beverage (eg milkshake, float)
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions for market sizing at retail:
Family packs: includes tubs/buckets/bricks/family packs of ice cream/sorbets.
Individually wrapped: includes ice creams, lollies, frozen novelties, ice cream bars.
Multipacks: includes several wrapped items not sold separately.
