About National Ice Cream Month
National Ice Cream Month is celebrated each year in July and National Ice Cream Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in July, in the United States.
It was first proclaimed in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan. Many ice cream makers encourage consumers to celebrate the national holiday as President Reagan declared, "Observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities."
This celebration was originated by Joint resolution 298 in the United States Senate, which was sponsored by Senator Walter Dee Huddleston of Kentucky on May 17th 1984 and Joint resolution 543 in the United States House of Representatives, which was sponsored by Representative Kika de la Garza of Texas on April 11, 1984. The resolution proclaimed the month of July 1984 as "National Ice Cream Month" and July 15th 1984, as "National Ice Cream Day".
Even though the legislation only applied to 1984, July has been used ever since as National Ice Cream Month.
- Did you know? In the early 19th century, a popular delicacy for the upper classes was Parmesan ice cream.
From the International Dairy Foods Association:
“Americans consume about 23 gallons of ice cream each year, on average. As the summer reaches peak temperatures in July, Americans celebrate National Ice Cream Month as a way to cool off and enjoy the nation’s favorite frozen treat with friends and family. Ice cream has historically been a key feature of American communities. According to an IDFA survey, most ice cream companies are family owned and have been in operation for more than 50 years! Here’s more sweet news: Ice cream companies help support the U.S. economy, contributing more than $11 billion directly to the national economy and supporting more than 26,000 direct jobs that generate $1.6 billion in direct wages, according to IDFA’s Dairy Delivers®. In 2017, about 1.4 billion gallons of ice cream and related frozen desserts were produced in the United States.
“In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day.”
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