Softy and Novelties - Defination,Composition,Legal Standards and Method of Manufacture

Softy or ‘scoop able ice cream’ was first marketed in earnest in England in 1975.The aim was to produce a type of ice cream that was scoopable at -18 C and that had a good creamy consistency, slow meltdown properties and good storage stability.

While hard ice cream has been the dominant frozen dessert produced world wide for many years, other frozen dessert products have their niche, and in many countries are more popular than ice cream. The American market in recent years have seen the introduction of a number of other dairy and non dairy soft serve products, such as frozen yoghurt, sorbets and smoothies.

As the name implies, soft serve products are not hardened, and its is their soft,creamy texture that the public finds so appealing. They are easy to consume, thus providing instant gratification. They are especially easy to lick, a characteristic particularly enjoyed by children, who make up 50 per cent of the consumer base for soft serve products. Such products also lend themselves to decreased labour costs,as evidenced by the growing numbers of consumers willing to serve themselves from soft serve freezers in supermarkets and convenience stores and restaurants.Other than the investment in the equipment, handling soft serve products is a relatively low-cost operation. The equipment takes up little space and is easy to operate. The products increase profit margins and are self-promoting when the machinery is in public view. Two major categories of soft serve products, low fat and non fat soft ice cream and frozen yoghurt, attained amazing sales growth during the late 1980s because of intense consumer interest in the diet and health.