Russians' appetite for ice cream breaks records in pandemic

No matter the weather, people in Russia love ice cream. And last year, as the pandemic shook things up, more of them reached for the comforting desserts than they had in a long time.

Citing data from the Agricultural Bank, the TASS news agency reported on Tuesday that 451,000 tons of ice cream were produced nationwide, an increase of 8% from the year prior.

And this year, experts expect even more ice cream - 463,000 tons - to be sold in stores.

Demand for ice cream in Russia has been growing for a good 10 years.

The majority of the ice cream produced in Russia is also eaten by Russians: According to the statistics, only 26,000 tons was sold abroad last year - more than in 2010, however, with 3,000 tons.

Ordered online

Ice cream sales at kiosks, parks and cafes were hit hard by the pandemic last year, TASS reported. Instead, people bought more ice cream from supermarkets or ordered it online.

Ice cream is considered a national dish in Russia. The Soviet Union first began mass production of the frozen dessert in the 1930s.