I scream for ice cream

People looking to cool down with an ice cream cone could be left hot and bothered by the aftereffects of extreme weather conditions on the other side of the world.

A devastating cyclone wreaked havoc in Madagascar in March, destroying crops and inflicting enough damage on the world’s biggest vanilla producer to rock the global marketplace and send prices skyrocketing to four times their usual level.

As a result of the shortage, consumers fear they could be forced to stump up extra for ice creams made with natural vanilla pods rather than the synthetic alternative.