Grocery Store Shelves Get Heavier with Non-Dairy Desserts.
Calling all deprived and desperate lactose intolerant, vegan, and health conscious ice cream lovers!
Ben & Jerry’s added two flavors to their non-dairy ice cream line earlier in January 2018, as demand for healthier ice cream alternatives has continued to grow.
The flavors Cinnamon Buns and Peanut Butter Half-Baked have joined the vegan dessert family, which now totals 9 flavors offered by Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream company is infamous for adding and subtracting flavors from grocery store and creamery shelves, forever listening to consumers as they decide certain flavors are more favorable than others, but it seems the non-dairy products are here to stay.
Traditionally, ice cream is made out of cows’ milk, but to appease those who cannot or will not eat dairy, Ben & Jerry’s decided to create a non-dairy dessert that is made out of almond milk, a commonly used alternative. As the flavor options continue to grow, consumers cannot stop talking about them.
The original non-dairy idea came from a change.org petition with nearly 28,000 supporters, according to USA Today. Countless numbers of ice cream consumers had been looking for a tasty addition to their animal friendly diet and Ben & Jerry’s came to their rescue.
A large portion of Americans have dietary restrictions that cause them not to be able or want to consume ice cream, as 25% are lactose intolerant and 0.5% are vegan. Many Americans are also making a greater effort to eat healthier, according to CSNews.com.
Much to the delight of consumers, these statistics are ones that companies like Ben & Jerry’s are paying great attention to when coming up with new products.
In comparison to many vegan dessert companies on the shelves today, the Ben & Jerry’s brand is more well known and likely considered more trustworthy when shoppers encounter new products and want to branch out. Consumers are overjoyed that such a brand is hoping on the trend of “healthier” ice cream.
The response to their vegan items since the product line’s advent in 2016 has been, for the majority, positive. Some flavors are given better feedback than others, Consumer Reports claims, but such is the case with many traditional ice cream flavors as well.
To combat the dislike of flavors and to cater to all, Ben & Jerry’s offers a submissions page on their website where non-dairy ice cream lovers can make their suggestions heard.
While this dessert is not identical to the companies usual ice cream products in terms of taste, Ben & Jerry’s has remained faithful to their fan base, providing those who were previously lacking the opportunity to eat Ben & Jerry’s classic, unique flavors, simply “veganized.”
Other companies such as Halo Top, Häagen-Dazs, So Delicious, and Breyers have also been adding dairy-free alternatives to the grocery store shelves.
Along with these distinctive flavors, Ben & Jerry’s announced the addition of flavors to their Pint Slices as well as the creation of Ice Cream Truffles as another option of ice cream enjoyment.
After listening to various suggestions from customers, Ben & Jerry’s made way for Chocolate Shake It Truffles, Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles and Chillin’ The Roast Truffles ice cream, claiming these creams will supply their “biggest chunks yet.”
The Pint Slices flavors now include Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz, The Tonight Dough, and Cherry Garcia.
