Gelato consumption untouched by economic crisis

Ice cream for dogs to hit the market! Crisis or not, there is one thing Italians are not willing to give up - ice cream. Despite the economic downturn, the Italian Institute of Ice Cream (IGI) said on Friday that the total industry turnover for pre-packaged ice cream was up 2.2% in 2011, reaching approximately two billion euros. Not only that, according to IGI gelato is consumed all year long, not just in the hotter months, and more frequently at home with retail sales up 3.9%. And for families with four-legged friends, an ice cream for man's best friend, IceBau, was released at the gelato festival in Ancona on Friday, ready to hit the retail market this summer.