Packaged Facts: New Flavors, Innovation Heat Up Frozen Dessert Categories

NEW YORK — The market for frozen desserts is projected to grow by more than $4 billion by 2012, according to a Packaged Facts report. Higher ice cream and frozen dessert prices are spurring year-over-year growth in dollar sales. Although ice cream accounted for 59.2% of all U.S. frozen dessert sales in 2007, the cold treat dropped 0.3 percentage points from 2006. Sales likely went to the frozen yogurt category, which grew 12% in 2007. The dessert’s popularity is attributed to more innovation and new flavors. “Because this is a mature market, growth for one marketer often comes at the expense of another,” said Cathy Minkler, editor of Packaged Facts, in a statement. “This is particularly true with frozen novelties, where product life cycles are extremely short. Shoppers tend to browse shelves, actively on the lookout for new tastes, informative and exciting packaging, interesting product innovations, or products offering a surprise factor.”

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