Today is National Ice Cream Day. Celebrate accordingly!

This is my (mostly) weekly column in which I write about whatever’s on my mind — which may have nothing to do with Apple. Today’s column only does so peripherally, so feel free to skip it unless you love ice cream (and if you don’t, what’s wrong with you?).

Thanks to President Reagan, we celebrate National Ice Cream Day every third Sunday in July — and that’s today, July 17. Of course, if you’re an ice cream aficionado like me, every day is Ice Cream Day. But I digress. 

Reagan wanted to commemorate a treat enjoyed by over 90% of the US population. In 1984, he decreed a day for ice cream. Americans still lead the world when it comes to eating this frozen delight: 23 gallons a year to be precise. 

Reagan also proclaimed July as National Ice Cream month, describing ice cream as ‘‘a nutritious and wholesome food enjoyed by over ninety percent of the people in the United States.’’

According to an International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) survey, most ice cream companies are family owned and have been in operation for more than 50 years. Ice cream companies help support the U.S. economy, contributing more than $13 billion directly to the national economy and supporting nearly 29,000 direct jobs that generate $1.8 billion in direct wages, according to IDFA’s Dairy Delivers. In 2021, ice cream makers in the U.S. churned out more than 1.3 billion gallons of ice cream.

I’m an ice cream snob, I admit. I love to get custard (which, okay, isn’t truly ice cream in the strictest sense) at Culver’s. At the supermarket, I like to buy Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs, and Tillamook. 

My favorite flavor: anything with chocolate. So treat yourself to some cold goodness and enjoy National Ice Cream Day!

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Have a great weekend.