How much do Chinese love ice cream

Chinese people ate 4.5 million tonnes of ice cream in the first ten months of this year, according to organizers of the 2018 China Ice Cream Exhibition.

The Chinese ice cream market has reached 120 billion yuan (18 billion US dollars) while that of all frozen food (including ice cream) stands at 800 billion yuan.

Chinese people ate 4.5 million tonnes of ice cream in the first ten months of this year. [Photo: VCG]

The United States is right now the biggest producer of ice cream and frozen food, with an annual output of 24 million tonnes, followed by Europe with an annual sale of 13.5 million tonnes.

In comparison, the Chinese frozen food industry started in the 1950s and witnessed rapid development in the 1990s thanks to the mass production of refrigerators. From 2014 to 2017, Chinese consumption of ice cream and frozen food has maintained an average increase of 16 percent annually.

After decades of development, the Chinese ice cream and frozen food industry has improved in product development, taste innovation, and image building, and moved towards the high-end of the industrial chain, said Wang Haining, chairman of the organization committee for the exhibition.

Chinese people ate 4.5 million tonnes of ice cream in the first ten months of this year. [Photo: VCG]

The peak season for ice cream consumption runs from March to September, and in winter, companies start to develop new tastes for the next season, added Wang. The annual China Ice Cream Exhibition is a good platform for companies to display their new products.

The 2018 China Ice Cream Exhibition will be held in Beijing from January 12 to 14.

A child is enjoying an ice cream. [Photo: VCG]