Ice Cream Facts That Will Sweeten Your Day

On a hot summer day, nothing beats a cone from the best ice cream stand in your state. Just ask Americans, who consume 1.6 billion gallons of the frozen sweet treat per year. On average, that's more than 23 pounds per person.

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According to data from the International Dairy Foods Association, families are the primary customer group for ice cream retailers — an $11 billion industry — and the market is most successful in the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin).

Most ice cream is made from March through July, though July is the busiest month — but what's the most sought-after scoop? America's top 10 favorite ice cream flavors are: vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie dough, buttered pecan, cookie dough, strawberry, moose tracks and neapolitan.

Favorite novelty items are sandwiches, mini cups, sticks or pops, cones and bars. Candy and chocolate pieces are the most popular confections within the ice cream, and waffle cones and sugar cones tie for most popular containers. For more trivia about the foods we know and love, here are all the answers to pressing junk food mysteries.