TABLE OF CONTENTS The factory process by which ice cream is produced has been described in Chapter 4. This is not the end of the story, however, since many products consist of more than just ice cream or water ice. The ice cream may be held in a cone or on a stick, it may be coated, for example in chocolate, and it may contain inclusions, such as pieces of fruit, nut or biscuit. Packaging is also an important part of most ice cream products. As indicated in Figure 4.1, products are assembled and packaged after the ice cream leaves the factory freezer or after hardening, depending on the nature of the product. Figure 5.1 shows a schematic diagram of the main steps in product assembly and packaging.
Ice cream products can generally be classified in three groups.
Tubs or desserts that are bought in supermarkets and are eaten at home, providing several servings.
Soft ice cream, such as Mr Whippy, that is made in a small ice cream freezer, for example in an ice cream van, and eaten immediately.
Single-serve products, such as cones, ice creams or ice lollies on sticks and choc ices, that are bought singly from a shop or ice cream van, or in multi-packs from a supermarket. These are often described as 'impulse' (because they are often bought on impulse) or 'novelty' products (because manufacturers usually introduce new products or variants each year to maintain...
