Americans don't eat as much ice cream

Five charts to start your day

I love ice cream, so naturally this story appealed to me. Unilever is splitting off its sweet treats business, which includes brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum. The surprise move follows a gradual slump in Americans’ ice cream consumption – down nearly 30 per cent over the past five decades. Who would have thought? I had no idea this was a trend.

Ice cream remains a $9 billion juggernaut for Unilever, but costs and margins have become an issue. Running an enormous network of freezers worldwide, not to mention dealing with seasonality, has squeezed profits. The rise of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic may further melt away demand, especially in the US, its biggest market.