Changing ice cream aisle: More options to enjoy frozen treats
Like Anne with an "e" used to tell pre-pandemic audiences on the stage of the Charlottetown Festival, "even the most respectable eat ice cream."
This tasty treat has a long history dating back to at least the fourth century B.C., when the Roman emperor Nero ordered ice to be brought from the mountains and had it garnished with a variety of fruit toppings.
The choices available to today's consumer would certainly endless enough to capture the imagination of PEI's best-known fictional orphan. There is an almost infinite variety of flavours of traditional ice cream, not to mention ice cream with substitutes for both dairy and sugar.
According to figures produced by Statista, an international agency that follows food industry trends, ice cream sales were steadily rising in the country long before the pandemic. Retail sales in 2014 were $1.213 million U.S. By 2018, that had risen to $1.358 million, and projections this year call for sales of $1.493 million.
A survey conducted by Statista in 2019 showed a quarter of Canadians eat ice cream between two and three times a month, and two per cent admitted to eating the tasty treat every day.
Even with the myriad of choices available in the ice cream aisle, the survey indicates chocolate and vanilla remain the top-selling flavours.
HEALTHIER ICE CREAM?
"There is something very satisfying in the eating of ice cream with the combination of sensations and flavours we experience; creamy and sweet," said Chef Ilona Daniel in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The Saltwire columnist always has a pint of ice cream in her freezer no matter what the time of year. She noted not only is it a deliciously easy dessert, but the choices in flavours are almost endless.
"My go-to flavour is usually coffee-based - my current pint is coffee chocolate chip - (but) I’m always open to trying new flavours," Daniel said.
"And thanks to Halo Top, I have several new pints to choose from with their revamped dairy-free ice cream line."
That dairy-free line of vegan ice cream is made from a base of coconut milk and includes fava bean protein in place of brown rice protein; inulin in place of soluble corn fiber; and cellulose gum and gel in place of carob gum and guar gum.
Inulin is a soluble fibre that is usually added to foods because it gives a gel-like consistency when mixed with water. It is being promoted as a probiotic, stimulating the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut.
Daniel said the addition of vitamins and other nutraceuticals has been a major trend across the food industry. During COVID, she says, consumers concerned about immune health are shopping
for products with a range of ingredients, including probiotics and various herbs and spices.
"With stress and anxiety high, ingredients that support sleep and mental wellness are also gaining rapid traction in the marketplace, including those formulated with ingredients being studied and promoted for their positive effects on sleep and mental health," Daniel said.
ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD
Aaron McInnis is also an ice cream lover and the baking and pastry arts instructor at the Bay St. George Campus of the College of North Atlantic in Newfoundland. He views ice cream as perhaps the ultimate comfort food.
"For many of us, ice cream takes us back to fond memories of childhood," he said.
It can conjure up images of days at the beach or the park and transport us back to fond memories of family members who may no longer be with us, he says.
Traditional ice cream, he explained, is made with whipping cream, which contains between 33 to 36 per cent milk fat and gives ice cream its rich taste and creamy texture.
McInnis said when one ingredient is changed, the taste alters, but it also opens up new doors to people who can't enjoy traditional ice cream. Dairy-free ice cream uses a coconut milk base, for example, but offers an option to people with a lactose allergy.
Halo Top maintains a pint of its ice cream contains less than 360 calories in a few of its uniquely Canadian flavours - butter tart, maple pecan and chocolate honeycomb - thanks to sugar substitutes like Stevia.
The brand also produces a line of snack-sized ice cream pops of some of the more popular traditional flavours, like birthday cake, mint chip, strawberry cheesecake and chocolate chip cookie dough.
McInnis said ice cream is traditionally viewed as a treat, adding his class recently made blueberry ice cream and it proved to be a popular assignment with his students.
He terms himself a traditionalist, saying he doesn't view the occasional serving of ice cream as anything to worry about health-wise. Just like any food, moderation is key.