Italian Packaged Gelato Sales Rise 9% in First Eight Months of 2026

Sales of packaged gelato in Italy rose 9% in the first eight months of 2026 against the same period of 2025, according to data released in Rome by the Istituto del Gelato Italiano, the association that brings together the main producers of industrial packaged ice cream. The figures are drawn from NielsenIQ Total Italy retail measurement and were presented alongside the association's Manifesto for Sports Nutrition.

Heat lifts both retail and impulse channels

The Istituto linked the increase to a recovery in at-home consumption during a summer it described as very hot. Soldionline reported that the stronger appetite for ice cream was not confined to the household channel: out-of-home sales, and specifically gelato da passeggio — the cones, sticks and tubs bought in bars, kiosks and retail points — came close to 4% volume growth through June 2026 compared with the same months of 2025. That figure is based on Unione Italiana Food measurements for January-June 2026 against 2025.

The two readings come from different sources and cover different periods, so they are not directly comparable: the 9% refers to packs sold through retail over eight months, while the near 4% covers impulse volumes over six. Taken together, they point to growth on both the grocery and the out-of-home sides of the market.

A production base worth about €3 billion

Italian output of packaged gelato reached 261,000 tonnes in 2025, worth roughly €3 billion, according to Unione Italiana Food, the trade association representing a large part of the country's food manufacturing industry. Domestic demand absorbed about 3.4 billion portions of packaged gelato between January and December 2025.

• 2025 production: 261,000 tonnes
• 2025 production value: about €3 billion
• Portions sold in Italy, January-December 2025: about 3.4 billion
• Per-capita consumption in 2025: almost 3 kg

Per-capita consumption is a standard sector metric: total sales or output volumes divided by the resident population, giving an indication of how far a product has spread into everyday diets. On that basis Italians consumed almost 3 kg of packaged gelato each in 2025, a level that Soldionline described as confirmation of how widely the product is distributed across the national territory.

Second in Europe, behind Germany

Italian production of packaged gelato grew 10% by volume in 2025 against 2024, a pace that analysts cited by ANSA described as the highest among the European Union's five largest producers. On Eurostat data for 2025, Italy now ranks second in Europe by volume produced, behind Germany and ahead of France. Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union, which collects and harmonises the economic and production data of member states to allow like-for-like comparison across sectors.

Figures released with a sports nutrition manifesto

The market data were made public in Rome during the presentation of the Manifesto dell'alimentazione dello sportivo, an initiative promoted by the Istituto del Gelato Italiano. Soldionline reported that the manifesto sits within the wider debate on nutrition linked to physical activity — a discussion involving nutritionists, doctors, athletes and the food industry — with the stated aim of defining guidelines and good practice for responsible consumption.

At the same event, the companies belonging to the Istituto said that, working with Caritas, they had donated about 46,000 ice creams to people in vulnerable circumstances in several Italian cities, including Turin, Rome, Cagliari, Pescara and Florence.

Taken together, the figures describe an expanding packaged gelato market supported by the weather, the recovery in domestic consumption and the consolidation of out-of-home demand, with Italy also holding a leading position in European production.