Where our numbers come from
Every number on this site comes from public data, and we name each source.
Our pages and tools draw on public data. Every page that uses a number names the source it comes from, so you can check it yourself. Below are the five sources we rely on, in plain words, with what we use each one for. Some of the pages listed here are still being built.
Sources
-
No. 01 APU0000710411
Average Price Data: ice cream, prepackaged, bulk, regular, per 1/2 gallon (1.9 L), U.S. city average
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
We use the U.S. city average price of a half gallon of regular ice cream for the price tracker, year-over-year change, cost per scoop and the Scoop Planner cost estimate.
-
No. 02 CUUR0000SEFJ01
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: ice cream and related products, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
We use the Consumer Price Index for ice cream and related products, U.S. city average, to show how ice cream prices have changed over time.
-
No. 03 CUUR0000SA0
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Used only on the ice cream price tracker, to restate old half gallon prices in dollars of the latest month.
-
No. 04
FoodData Central
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
Used for each ingredient's fat, milk solids, sugars and water in the Base Builder and Recipe Scaler, nutrition figures on the flavor and types pages, and now Calories and nutrition.
-
No. 05
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap contributors
We use this volunteer-built map as the starting list for our page on scoop stops in the North Carolina Sandhills. Each entry is checked by hand, with credit to OpenStreetMap contributors.
-
No. 06
Wayback Machine
Internet Archive
We use archived copies of web pages to see how old addresses on this domain were used, so links pointing at them reach a relevant page.
-
No. 07
Ice Cream Technology e-Book
H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
Used for the Base Builder's ranges, overrun, mix density and ice and salt brine, the glossary, history, flavor and types pages, and now How to make ice cream, Why homemade ice cream is icy and other guides.
-
No. 08
Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Used for the 2/3 cup reference serving (1/2 cup before the 2016 update) in the Scoop Planner, Cost per Scoop and chart pages, and now in Calories and nutrition and Party and sundae bar planning.
-
No. 09
21 CFR 135.110, Ice cream and frozen custard
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
Used for the 10% milkfat floor, the 4.5 pounds per gallon floor, the 1.4% egg yolk solids for custard and flavor labeling rules, now also in How to make ice cream, Stabilizers and emulsifiers and other guides.
-
No. 10
Basics at a Glance (measurement poster)
Institute of Child Nutrition, The University of Mississippi
Used for disher numbers and their level measures (how many level scoops fill a quart), now also in Cone sizes and Party and sundae bar planning.
-
No. 11
DryiceInfo
DryiceInfo
Used for how fast dry ice sublimates in a cooler, safety rules (gloves, never airtight, ventilation, no closed cars) and packing tips, now also in Keeping ice cream cold.
-
No. 12
How Long Does Dry Ice Last?
WestAir
Used for cooler sublimation rates, the room temperature baseline, the extra allowance for summer heat and the 5 pound minimum, now also in Keeping ice cream cold.
-
No. 13
Chilling Food with Dry Ice vs. Regular Ice
America's Test Kitchen
Used for its test of how fast ice cream softened in a cooler of regular ice compared with one of dry ice, now also in Ice cream without a machine and Keeping ice cream cold.
-
No. 14
Ice Cream Scoop: Major Brands Downsize Again (May 12, 2008)
MousePrint (Edgar Dworsky)
We use it for how the half gallon tub of ice cream shrank, first to 56 ounces and then to 48 ounces.
-
No. 15
Stealth Inflation: Honey, They Shrunk Your Lunch
The Fiscal Times
We use it for the timing of the half gallon size cuts and for the 14 ounce "pint".
-
No. 16
Conventional dipping cabinets
Master-Bilt
Used for the 3 gallon can that scoop shops dip from, and for the temperature range of a dipping cabinet in the glossary.
-
No. 17
Ice cream maker manuals and product pages
SharkNinja, KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Whynter and Nostalgia
Used for each machine's batch size and fill rule in the Base Builder and the Recipe Scaler, and now cited in How to make ice cream, No-churn ice cream and other guides.
SharkNinja NC300 series owner's guide
- SharkNinja NC300 series recipe guide
- KitchenAid KICA0WH use and care guide
- KitchenAid KSMICM product page
- Cuisinart ICE-21 instruction booklet
- Cuisinart ICE-21P1 product page
- Cuisinart ICE-30BC instruction booklet
- Cuisinart ICE-30BCP1 product page
- Whynter ICM-128 user manual
- Whynter ICM-128BPS product page
- Nostalgia PICM4BG instruction manual
- Nostalgia PICM4BG product page
- Nostalgia ICMP600WD instruction manual
- Nostalgia ICMP600WD product page
- SharkNinja NC300 series FAQs
- SharkNinja Ninja CREAMi NC301 product page
-
No. 18
Dairy Products 2025 Summary (April 2026)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
Used for U.S. ice cream, sherbet and frozen yogurt production by year on the statistics page, the frozen yogurt day page and the frozen yogurt page.
-
No. 19
Dairy Data: per capita consumption of dairy products
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
Gives how many pounds of ice cream each American eats a year, from 1975 to the latest year, on the U.S. ice cream statistics page.
-
No. 20
Ice cream pages, history and 2026 trends survey
International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
Used for the third-Sunday rule for National Ice Cream Day, industry figures, history, the 2026 toppings and formats survey, the color pledge and the frozen yogurt cultures seal, and now Cone sizes, Toppings list and other guides.
-
No. 21
Proclamation 5219, National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day, 1984
The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara
Used for what Proclamation 5219 designated in 1984, and the 1983 figures it quoted, on the National Ice Cream Day and Month pages and the history page.
-
No. 22
Federal Register and Statutes at Large, 1984
U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo)
Used for the official printed texts of Proclamation 5219 and of the 1984 joint resolution behind it, as published in the Federal Register and the Statutes at Large.
-
No. 23
S.J.Res. 298, 98th Congress (1983-1984)
Congress.gov, Library of Congress
Used for who sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 298 in 1984, when it passed, and the fact that it became Public Law 98-333.
-
No. 24
Proclamations, July 9, 1984
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Used as a second copy of the text of Proclamation 5219 and to check the date it was filed.
-
No. 25
National Day Calendar
National Day Calendar
Used for the dates of the informal ice cream days and what it says about where each came from, and for the competing rocky road claims on the rocky road page.
-
No. 26
The establishment of European Artisanal Gelato Day (written declaration, July 5, 2012)
European Parliament
Used on the gelato day page for the 2012 written declaration that set up European Artisanal Gelato Day on March 24.
-
No. 27
The scoop behind a blizzard, a mom and 'Ice Cream for Breakfast' day
FOX Weather
Used for the origin story of Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, told in a news article about how the day began.
-
No. 28
National Soft Serve Day
Carvel
Used only for the name National Soft Serve Day for August 19, as given on a soft-serve maker's newsroom page.
-
No. 29
Ice cream history pages
Library of Congress
Used for the history page, the cone and vanilla day pages, and Thomas Jefferson's vanilla ice cream recipe on the vanilla flavor page.
-
No. 30
U.S. Patents 3,254 (1843) and 746,971 (1903)
Google Patents
Used on the history page for Nancy Johnson's 1843 freezer patent and Italo Marchiony's 1903 mold patent.
-
No. 31
21 CFR part 135, Frozen desserts (definitions, sherbet, water ices)
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
Used for the glossary, the sherbet, water ice, goat's milk and mellorine rules on the types pages and which desserts have no U.S. standard, now also in How to make ice cream, Dairy-free and vegan bases and other guides.
-
No. 32
Ice Cream and Frozen Novelty Trends Surveys, 2022, 2024 and 2026 (fieldwork by Research America in 2022 and Morning Consult in 2024 and 2026)
International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
Used for each flavor's survey rank and percent and the flavors makers and shops say sell most, from surveys in 2022, 2024 and 2026, now also in Party and sundae bar planning and the Toppings list.
-
No. 33
Pint-Sized Obsessions: Instacart Maps America's Favorite Ice Cream (2025 orders)
Instacart
Used for each flavor's share of orders and for regional favorites on the flavor pages, from a report on 2025 orders and a 2022 to 2023 state map.
-
No. 34
Ice cream flavor polls, 2018, 2020 and 2022
YouGov
Used for the share of U.S. adults who name each flavor as a favorite, and for regional likes, on the flavor pages, from polls in 2018, 2020 and 2022.
-
No. 35
Ice cream survey of 5,000 U.S. adults, June 2025, commissioned by Undeniably Dairy
Talker Research
Used for favorite flavor shares and the flavors people most want to try, from a June 2025 survey of 5,000 U.S. adults commissioned by Undeniably Dairy, an industry campaign.
Talker Research: America's top ice cream connoisseurs (July 2025)
-
No. 36
Food safety pages for consumers: raw flour, food allergens and eating outdoors
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Used for raw dough and cake mix warnings on the cookie dough and birthday cake pages, allergen notes on nut and sesame flavors, and now How long ice cream lasts, the Toppings list and other guides.
-
No. 37
Myth buster on ice cream and frozen dessert, with standard 2.1.14 (ice cream, kulfi and related products)
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Used for kulfi's legal composition in India, under standard 2.1.14 as set out in its myth buster on ice cream and frozen dessert.
-
No. 38
Recent advances on kulfi: a popular Indian frozen dessert (Mondal and others, 2024)
Acta Technica Corviniensis, Bulletin of Engineering, Tome XVII, Fascicule 4
Used for how traditional kulfi is made, its flavors and its lack of air, from a 2024 review of kulfi research by authors at India's National Dairy Research Institute.
-
No. 39
Geographical indication No. 344, Maraş Dondurması (registered April 18, 2018)
Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (Türkpatent)
Used for the protected recipe of Maraş ice cream under geographical indication No. 344: goat's milk, salep and sugar, plus its fat, solids and air figures.
-
No. 40
Traditional Maraş Ice Cream and Its History
Go Türkiye, the tourism portal of the Republic of Türkiye
Used for how Maraş ice cream is commonly made, with mastic, and for the legend of where it came from.
-
No. 41
Food entries and articles on regional ice creams
Atlas Obscura
Used for background on teaberry, orange and black licorice, grape-nut ice cream and dondurma.
-
No. 42
7 Old-School New England Ice Cream Favorites
Yankee Magazine
Used for the New England background of maple walnut, peppermint stick, black raspberry, coffee and grape-nut ice cream on those flavor pages.
-
No. 43
The Great Debate: Who Invented Cookies 'N Cream Ice Cream?
Dairy Herd (Farm Journal)
Used for the disputed origin story of cookies and cream, including the competing claims about who invented it.
-
No. 44
The Epic History of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Ben & Jerry's (the company's own account)
Used, as the company's own claim, for the origin story of its cookie dough flavor.
-
No. 45
A Bergamo un gelato è nato da una minestra (Maria Sole Betti, March 21, 2026)
Gambero Rosso
Used for the stracciatella page, including its account of how the flavor was created in Bergamo, Italy, in 1961.
-
No. 46
CuriosiD: What is Superman ice cream? And where does it come from?
WDET 101.9 FM, Detroit public radio
Used for the Midwest's red, yellow and blue ice cream and for blue moon, on those flavor pages.
-
No. 47
The History of Ice Cream in New Zealand
The New Zealand Ice Cream Association (Inc.)
Used for the origin stories told about hokey pokey, drawn from a history of ice cream in New Zealand.
-
No. 48
How Mochi Ice Cream Went From Little Tokyo to the World (Robert Ito)
Alta Online
Used for how Mikawaya popularized mochi ice cream in the 1990s and for its early flavors, from a feature by Robert Ito.
-
No. 49
What is mochi ice cream, and the company history
Mikawaya (the company's own pages)
Used for what mochi ice cream is and for the company's own account of the product, given as its claim.
-
No. 50
Frances Hashimoto, Los Angeles business leader who popularized mochi ice cream, dies at 69
Associated Press (on Fox News)
Used for the note that who made mochi ice cream first is disputed, from the obituary of Frances Hashimoto.
-
No. 51
Sustainability Report 2022: history timeline
Lotte Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Used for the 1981 date of the company's Yukimi Daifuku, taken from its own timeline.
-
No. 52
What is gelato
SIGEP World, the gelato trade fair of Italian Exhibition Group
Used for its figures on gelato fat, air and serving temperature, which other sources dispute.
-
No. 53
Gelato and ice cream
dairyscience.info (Michael Mullan)
Used for its figures on gelato fat, air and cabinet temperature, from an independent dairy education site.
-
No. 54
A review on Gelato: An Italian delicacy (Shingh, Rani and Kanse, 2020)
emergent Life Sciences Research 6(2):74-81
Used for its figures on gelato composition and air, from a 2020 review article.
-
No. 55
N.J. Admin. Code § 8:21-7.7, Frozen yogurt
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (text of the New Jersey rule)
Used for one state's legal definition of frozen yogurt, from a copy of New Jersey's rule.
-
No. 56
Administrative Rule 12:11:01:01.06, frozen yogurt
South Dakota Legislature
Used to show that states define frozen yogurt differently, through one state's administrative rule.
-
No. 57
Food Code 2022
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Used for egg cooking temperatures, pasteurized eggs in uncooked recipes, cooling times and scoop storage in How to make ice cream, Party and sundae bar planning and other guides. It is a retail rule, not a home rule.
-
No. 58
Draft guidance on labeling plant-based alternatives to foods from animals (January 2025)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Used on Dairy-free and vegan bases for how plant-based dairy alternatives may be named. It is a January 2025 draft, not final, and does not mention frozen desserts.
-
No. 59
Food safety charts: cold storage, safe cooking temperatures and power outages
FoodSafety.gov (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
Used for safe freezer storage at 0 F, the 160 F mark for egg dishes and the power outage table in How long ice cream lasts, Keeping ice cream cold and other guides.
-
No. 60
21 CFR part 101, Food labeling (reference amounts and fat claims)
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
Used for the 2/3 cup reference amount for ice cream and the label meaning of low fat and reduced fat in Calories and nutrition, Cone sizes and other guides.
-
No. 61
21 CFR part 131, Milk and cream (condensed milk, cream and half-and-half)
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
Used for the U.S. standards for sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, light whipping cream and half-and-half, and the emulsifiers and stabilizers cream may contain, in No-churn ice cream, Stabilizers and emulsifiers and the Toppings list.
-
No. 62
Shelf Life of Food: Refrigerator and Freezer Storage
Ohio State University Extension, Fayette County
Used on How long ice cream lasts for a county storage chart that gives ice cream 1 to 2 months in the freezer for quality.
-
No. 63
Freezer Storage
University of Illinois Extension
Used on How long ice cream lasts for a freezer chart that gives ice cream and sherbet 2 months of top quality at 0 F.
-
No. 64
Home Food Storage
Nebraska Extension, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Used on How long ice cream lasts for a home storage chart that gives ice cream 2 to 4 months in the freezer at 0 F, for quality only.
-
No. 65
Should it stay or should it go? Making food safety decisions after a power outage (July 17, 2025)
UConn Extension
Used on How long ice cream lasts for its reprint of the federal power outage table, which says thawed ice cream is discarded.
-
No. 66
Ice Cream in a Bag: Changing Matter
Colorado State University Extension, Garfield County
Used for the ice cream in a bag recipe and why salt makes ice colder, in Ice cream without a machine and Keeping ice cream cold.
-
No. 67
Understanding Salt Brine Concentration (fact sheet)
Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University
Used for the coldest a salt brine can get, about -6 F at 23.3% salt, in Ice cream without a machine and Keeping ice cream cold.
-
No. 68
Chemical Sampling Information: Carbon Dioxide
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Used for the workplace exposure limit for carbon dioxide (5,000 ppm over 8 hours) behind the dry ice safety notes in Keeping ice cream cold.
-
No. 69
Cone specification sheets: cake cones and cups, sugar cones, waffle cones
Joy Cone Company
Used on Cone sizes for one cone maker's published height, mouth width and inside diameter of its cake cups, sugar cones and waffle cones. It publishes no capacities.
-
No. 70
Cost to Rent a Food Truck for a Party (2024 Prices)
Roaming Hunger (a food truck booking marketplace)
Used on Ice cream truck or trailer for a booking marketplace's March 2024 list prices for trucks and carts, per person and minimums. These are its own averages, not an independent survey.
-
No. 71
Mobile food stand guide (2018)
Catawba County Public Health, North Carolina
Used on Ice cream truck or trailer for North Carolina's rules for mobile food units: commissaries, permits and posting the permit and grade card.
-
No. 72
Mobile food unit and temporary food event forms
Moore County Health Department, Environmental Health (North Carolina)
Used on Ice cream truck or trailer for the county's forms for mobile food units and event food: the vendor application, organizer form, $75 temporary food permit and exemption form.
-
No. 73
Partner directory: ice cream shops, stands and trucks
Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Used for the directory entries of ice cream shops, stands and trucks on the Sandhills page and in Ice cream truck or trailer. A listing shows a place is listed, not that it is open.
- Directory entry: Big Dipper Ice Cream Truck
- Directory entry: Kona Ice
- Directory entry: Robbins Creamery
- Directory entry: Highlanders Farm & Ice Cream Stand
- Directory entry: The Ice Cream Parlor
- Directory entry: Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
- Directory entry: Purple Penguin
- Directory entry: Dairy Queen
- Directory entry: Cold Stone Creamery
-
No. 74
Ice cream without a machine
Barefeet in the Kitchen (a recipe blog)
Used on Ice cream without a machine for the freeze-and-stir method, with times for freezing and whisking. This is a recipe blog, named where used.
-
No. 75
How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker
Food.com (a recipe site)
Used on Ice cream without a machine for the freeze-and-stir method and why stirring breaks up large ice crystals. This is a recipe site, named where used.
-
No. 76
No-Churn Vanilla Fudge Ice Cream recipe
Eagle Brand (the condensed milk brand's own recipe)
Used on No-churn ice cream for the brand's own recipe: one 14 oz can of condensed milk folded into 2 cups of whipped heavy cream, frozen 6 to 8 hours.
-
No. 77
Mulligan's Creamery serves up locally made, premium ice cream in Moore County (October 27, 2026)
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal (BizFayetteville)
Used on the Sandhills page for a regional business paper's October 27, 2026 report on a new Carthage scoop shop, to confirm it was open.
-
No. 78
Moore County ice cream coverage (2025 and 2026)
The Sway (a Moore County, NC lifestyle site)
Used as evidence on the Sandhills page: a local lifestyle site's 2026 story on a new scoop shop and its May 2025 list of the county's ice cream shops.
The Sway: Mulligans Creamery to Putt Down Roots (June 2, 2026)
-
No. 79
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream opens in Southern Pines (December 16, 2024)
Sandhills Sentinel
Used as evidence on the Sandhills page: a local news report on a Southern Pines scoop shop's opening.
If a number on this site looks wrong, email us and tell us which page it is on.