This ice cream has melted...

The Decline of an All-American Treat | Daily Ticker - Yahoo! Finance: "Traditional ice cream sales have been slowly declining and seem poised to hit their lowest levels this year since the mid 1990s. Production of regular ice cream peaked in 2002 at about 14 quarts per person each year, according to government figures. That has fallen to 11.6 quarts per person, a 13% drop. Seven of the 10 biggest ice cream chains had fewer stores in 2012 than they had in 2011, according to research firm Technomic. Cold Stone Creamery has shuttered more than 100 stores since 2009. At Baskin-Robbins, revenue and store count have fallen every year since 2008.
Health concerns are one obvious reason why Americans are consuming less full-fat ice cream. But the ice cream man has also fallen behind on innovation, or at least on gimmicky offerings that keep customers lining up at the counter. As dessert outlets have evolved from traditional parlors into buzzier chains constantly seeking a marketing edge, ice cream somehow became a bit stodgy, while frozen yogurt and other types of dessert did a better job of capturing the foodie vibe."

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