The Missing Ingredient · Weekly F&B Trends Briefing · Sample

Frozen Treats Category Briefing

Prepared for Boardwalk Frozen Treats Week of July 20, 2026 Coverage Frozen novelties · At-home ice cream · Premium pints
Section 01

Category Snapshot

The US ice cream and frozen novelties market is holding strong on emotional value: consumers keep buying because the category feels like fun and comfort, even as ingredient inflation stays sticky. Novelties continue to be the growth engine, outpacing traditional tubs on the strength of portioned convenience, younger buyers, and engaged parents.

$19B+
US ice cream and frozen novelties market value (Mintel, 2026)
85%
of consumers agree ice cream feels fun; enjoyment anchors the category
52%
of buyers alternate between full-calorie and better-for-you options
77%
of heavy frozen-treat shoppers actively seek seasonal and limited-time offers
Margin watch: chocolate input costs remain elevated as manufacturers absorb cocoa volatility and tariff pressure rather than passing recent relief through. Relevant for any chocolate-forward SKU planning into 2027.
Section 02

Emerging Trends

Trend · Product Innovation

Texture Is the New Flavor Battleground

Mintel calls texture the center of 2026 innovation, and the shelf agrees: layered tubs, crunchy coatings, swirls, and multi-texture builds are driving trial. Mochi formats keep growing at double-digit rates (Morinaga's acquisition of My/Mochi underlines the bet), and the ice cream sandwich is having a structural revival led by Oreo, Biscoff, and Ben & Jerry's.

So what: texture language ("crackly shell," "chewy," "loaded") is outperforming flavor-only claims in category messaging. Worth auditing how Baskin-Robbins at Home pack copy and content describe texture today.
Trend · Flavor

Nostalgia, Upgraded

IDFA's 2026 national survey shows chocolate reclaiming the #1 flavor spot from vanilla, with butter pecan climbing to #2 and cookies & cream and salted caramel breaking into the top five. The pattern across new launches: familiar childhood flavors rebuilt with premium recipes and richer inclusions. Comfort is the brief; execution is elevated.

So what: a scoop-shop heritage brand is structurally advantaged here. Nostalgic shop flavors reintroduced as premium at-home formats align exactly with where consumer preference is moving.
Trend · Format

The Sundae Comes Home

The strongest format story of 2026 is premium shop experiences translated to retail: Ben & Jerry's expanded its Sundaes pint line off strong 2025 results, Breyers launched Sundae Swirls, and multiple brands are pushing loaded, dessert-shop builds into grocery freezers. Extrusion advances now allow big inclusions in handheld bars, which is pulling premium brands into novelty formats.

So what: "bringing the shop home" is the entire Baskin-Robbins at Home brand promise, and the category just validated it as the growth thesis. This is a positioning moment worth owning loudly before competitors define it.
Trend · Demand Signals

LTO Appetite Is a Planning Input

With 77% of heavy shoppers actively hunting seasonal and limited-time offers, LTO cadence is becoming a volume driver rather than a marketing garnish. Weather-linked demand modeling is also maturing; Unilever has publicly credited AI-driven, weather-based forecasting with a 30% ice cream sales lift.

So what: LTO calendar planning and demand forecasting are both places where sales planning (Adaptive) and trend data can connect. Flagging for Roger and David's planning cycles.
Section 03

Competitor Watch

BrandMoveWhy It MattersSignal
Ben & Jerry's Launched first-ever ice cream bar line (5 flavors, Jan 2026), then added three Sundaes pint flavors in Feb (Straw-Bae, PB Blondie Bestie, Mocha Mood Pie). Premium tub leader moving aggressively into novelties; validates the loaded-bar format. Act
Häagen-Dazs Six-product suite in Jan 2026 spanning tubs and bars (Dark Cherry Truffle, Coffee Almond Toffee, Peanut Butter Brittle, Cherry Dark Chocolate bars) under a "slow down and savor" platform. Premium positioning is shifting from flavor claims to occasion and ritual messaging. Watch
Tillamook Entered the ice cream bar category for the first time (Cookies & Cream, Vanilla Bean, Mint Chocolate Chip, Mudslide) and expanded fan-favorite flavors into pints. A scoopable-heritage brand crossing into novelties; direct freezer-door competition for premium bar space. Act
Mars / Snickers Snickers Minis ice cream bars pushing snackable, bite-size formats. Confection brands keep converting candy equity into freezer share; competes for the same impulse occasion. Watch
Breyers New Sundae Swirls line bringing dessert-shop builds to mainstream price points. The sundae-at-home trend moving downmarket; raises the bar for what "premium" must deliver to justify price. Risk
Section 04

What This Means for Boardwalk

  1. Own the sundae-at-home narrative now. The category's biggest 2026 story is the brand promise Baskin-Robbins at Home already makes. Content, retail media, and pack messaging should claim it explicitly before Ben & Jerry's and Breyers define the space.
  2. Pressure-test the LTO calendar against flavor momentum. Butter pecan's rise and salted caramel's top-five entry are concrete signals for seasonal SKU and promo planning into the 2027 cycle.
  3. Audit texture messaging. If competitors are winning trial on texture language, product copy and creative should be scored against it. Quick win: a texture-language review across current pack and digital copy.
  4. Track chocolate input costs in trade planning. Sticky cocoa pricing affects both margin and competitor promo behavior; a watch item for finance and sales planning together.
About This Briefing

This is a real, working sample of TMI's automated weekly trends briefing, generated for Boardwalk Frozen Treats ahead of our AI workshop. The production version runs automatically every Monday with custom sources, competitors, and category terms tuned to your priorities, and lands in your inbox or Notion with zero manual work. Sections, competitors tracked, and depth are all configurable.

Sources · Week of July 20, 2026