Lifestyle

5 Fast Facts: Celebrate National Ice Cream Month

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The month of July is here, and with it comes a duo of the sweetest of U.S. holidays. In 1984, President Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month.  Additionally, the third Sunday of the month is National Ice Cream Day. Below are five interesting facts about the Texas ice cream industry to kick off what is sure to be great month for your taste buds!

1. Texas is Among the States that Eat the Most Ice Cream

Ice cream selections

Photo: Pixabay/Pexels 

We all know Texans have a special place in their heart for this frozen treat, (Here’s looking at you Blue Bell) so it’s no surprise the state sits comfortably at the number five position for total consumption.  Beating out the Lone Star State is the District of Colombia, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts in the first, second, third, and fourth spots consecutively.

2. Blue Bell Ranks Third in Ice Cream Creation

Blue Bell Ice Cream

Photo: Facebook/Blue Bell Ice Cream

Type the words “Texas” and “Ice cream” into any search engine, and Blue Bell will be one of the first selections to appear. Texas and Blue Bell go together like cookies ‘n’ cream, (a flavor the company claims to have created before anyone else). Even though its competitors include Nestlé and Unilever, the darling of Brenham consistently performs with the big boys, and became the third largest ice cream maker in 2014.

3. Dallas and Fort Worth Really Love Their Ice Cream

chocolate ice cream cone

Photo: Pixabay/jackmac34 

In a list of the top 10 ice cream eating cities in the U.S., Fort Worth came in at a cool sixth place, with Dallas filling in the number two spot. The cherry on top? Long Beach, Calif., the state’s seventh most populated city.

4. Texans Eat More Ice Cream Than Almost Anyone

pink ice cream

Photo: Facebook/International Dairy Foods Association

A survey conducted by the International Dairy Foods Association in 2014 stated the average American consumes upwards of 23 pounds of ice cream a year. However, Texans treat themselves to anywhere from 26 to 50 percent more frozen sweets than the national average. Let’s be honest, if eating ice cream is wrong, we don’t want to be right.

5. Ice Cream Can Turn That Frown Upside Down

ice cream in a cup

Photo: Yelp/Christine A. 

In 2015, scientists in London conducted an experiment regarding the effects of ice cream on the brain. They found that a single scoop of vanilla initiates a reaction in the brain’s “happy place.” This is the same area that lights up when a favorite song comes on the radio or the first bluebonnet of the season is found. Of course, drowning your sorrows in a gallon of icy goodness is not the best course of action, but an occasional trip to the local parlor might help chase the blues away.

From one of the largest creameries in the U.S. to the mom-and-pop shop down the street to the frozen food section at your local H-E-B, there is nothing that says “Texas” more than enjoying a scoop of your favorite frozen treat on a hot summer’s eve. So this July, pull up a seat, grab the biggest spoon you can find, and do your part to celebrate the sweetest month of the year!