Innovations in Ice Cream Production in Baltic Sea Region

The EU Baltic Sea region counts 85 million inhabitants and eight countries (Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) which share common features and challenges. This is an area of intensive political contacts, economic and cultural. This is also the area of the development of trade. Ice cream market is one of the most growing markets in Europe, both in terms of quantities sold and in terms of the number of new products. The largest consumption in the countries of the Baltic region are observed in the northern part of the region, Swedes are the world's biggest eaters of sweets and Europe's biggest consumer of ice cream with the average 131/2 litres of ice cream per year and Finns are the leading consumers of ice cream per capita in a European context. Therefore the aim of the study was to analyse the trends in the production and consumption of ice cream in the Baltic Sea region to specify which of the innovations in the ice cream market have the opportunity of success. Analysis showed that for the development of the ice cream market in BSR can contribute following phenomena: on the one hand consumer interest in artisan-produced ice cream, with local ingredients, on the other hand - some pro-health solutions - ice cream with reduced sugar/fat/calories content or lactose/dairy-free ice cream. Innovations in ice cream are mostly desired by consumers and can motivate further development of these products.