COOL AND SOOTHING: Commissaries offer great pricing on ice cream as July highlights the summertime surge for these tasty treats
NOTE: To see a DeCA video about ice cream treats for your pets, click here. To see a full-sized info graphic about ice cream on Flickr, click here.
FORT LEE, Va. – Just as it’s heating up for summer, commissaries worldwide have an incredible selection of cool, soothing, delicious ice cream products at great prices as we all observe July as National Ice Cream Month.
“My family and I love ice cream as a special treat on hot days, and through the years the commissary has provided us with remarkable ice cream varieties wherever we’ve been stationed,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, the Defense Commissary Agency’s senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director. “The same holds true today and the low commissary prices make it worth the trip for every commissary patron.”
It’s fitting that National Ice Cream Month is July since commissary ice cream sales are highest during the hot months of summer, according to Kim Galvin, a frozen/dairy merchandising specialist at DeCA Headquarters. Shoppers should look out for some new items.
“We’ve added frozen shakes, ice cream cups with spoons in the lid, new loaded cones and bars to the novelty sets that should be available in July, and those are just a few new items we are bringing in,” Galvin said.
The magic of the commissary ice cream section is the value and item selection customers enjoy, said Galvin, who loves anything chocolate with caramel. Customers find sizes ranging from gallons to pints to single-serving cups, bars and cones. Then there are flavors that go well beyond the traditional vanilla, chocolate and strawberry treats. There’s also non-dairy ice cream for the lactose intolerant.
Top-selling brands include Blue Bell, Haagen-Dazs, Breyers and Ben & Jerry’s and popular regional selections include Turkey Hill and Tillamook. Commissary store brand ice cream, Freedom’s Choice and Full Circle, are also popular and will have special promotions during the month.
Here’s a fun fact. In one year commissary patrons bought over 6.4 million units of ice cream. That’s just a ripple in the proverbial ice cream maker since 3.3 billion gallons of ice cream are consumed every year worldwide. Get in on the action and shop the commissary, and enjoy your summertime ice cream treat.
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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.