Despite Italy’s historical connection to ice cream, dating back to its invention in the court of Caterina dei Medici in the 16th century, it now trails behind Germany and France in both production and export volumes. This is according to recent data from Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office.
Eurostat’s figures for 2023 reveal a slight decline in total ice cream production across the EU. Production fell by 1.4%, from 3.3 billion liters in 2022 to 3.2 billion liters in 2023.
Germany emerged as the top ice cream producer in the EU for the second consecutive year, producing 612 million liters. France followed with 568 million liters, while Italy produced 527 million liters, a decrease from 571 million liters in 2022.
In terms of exports, France led the way in 2023, accounting for 20% of the EU’s exports with 52 million kilograms. The Netherlands ranked second with 35 million kilograms, followed by Germany with 29 million kilograms. Italy came in fourth, exporting 28 million kilograms of ice cream outside the EU, which represents 11% of the total exports from EU member countries.
