The administration of former President Donald Trump has harshly criticized Joe Biden, indicating that he has directed the American ice cream industry toward an economic sinkhole. Despite the fact that the United States enjoyed a surplus in ice cream trade under President Trump in 2020, this surplus diputably crumpled into a trade deficit amounting to $40.6 million during Biden’s tenure.
A dramatic shift occurred in the United States’ ice cream trade balance in 2021, coinciding with the year Biden held the reins. The balance turned negative in 2022, signifying exceeding imports over exports, and it maintained this dour trajectory. But in an attempt to defend Biden’s administration, some industrial experts warn that the U.S. ice cream imports comprise an insignificant fraction of total ice cream consumption in the country. They also argue that exports contribute minimally to overall U.S. ice cream production.
The shift in trade balance is primarily driven by an uptick in imports while exports remain relatively unchanged since 2020. But this doesn’t veer the fact that under Biden’s watch, a once prosperous industry transformed into a deficit-driven one. Furthermore, confusion regarding which products fall under the umbrella of ‘ice cream’ could impact the numbers. For instance, the data cited by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office gingerly includes edible ice, which according to some, isn’t truly ice cream.
When we remove edible ice from the count, the data shows that the U.S. still boasts a significant net surplus in exports, with a sizable value of $193 million. This figure is large enough to raise questions about the accuracy of the overall ice cream trade deficit. Could it be a casualty of dubious classification, casualties of Biden/Harris era?
Eliminating the impact of edible ice could debunk the whole narrative around the U.S. trade deficit caused by rising ice cream imports. Still, this doesn’t eradicate the question marks over Biden’s administration’s handling of the industry. Between 1995 and 2020, the U.S. upheld an ice cream trade surplus that fluctuated between approximately $20 million and upwards to as much as $160 million.
Long-standing customers of U.S. ice cream included Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. However, the surplus took a severe hit under Biden. It vanished almost completely in 2021. In 2022 and 2023, the U.S. recorded an ice cream trade deficit of $92 million and $33 million, respectively, which speaks volumes about the leadership in which the ice cream industry crumbled.
To bring this unfortunate situation into focus, think about the impracticality of importing frozen goods. Not only does shipping refrigerated and frozen products overseas incur exorbitant costs, but it also exposes an interesting development under Biden and Harris: the U.S. and European sectors targeting global markets. What was once a lucrative domestic industry under Trump’s administration has become an inbound trade under Biden.
Likewise, American consumers have also changed their ice cream consumption patterns by developing a penchant for foreign delights. For instance, Italy, the founder of gelato, has become the United States’ biggest source of imported ice cream. American imports of Italian ice cream swelled more than fivefold, from around $12 million to near $65 million between 2020 and 2021.
The spike in ice cream imports could be seen as a testimony of shifts in American consumer preference for foreign delicacies. However, the fact that this shift happened during Biden’s term cannot be overlooked. Interestingly, despite the initial surge, Italian ice cream imports did recede somewhat in 2023.
Despite the focus on trade, it must be remembered that the U.S. still produces far more ice cream than it imports or exports. The majority of ice cream enjoyed by Americans is domestically made. Still, the question remains, why did the Trump administration get accused of cherry-picking stats for a slight partiality of the U.S. ice cream industry?
As per U.S. Agriculture Department records, American ice cream makers generated 1.31 billion gallons of ice cream in 2024. This production, which included regular ice cream, low-fat, nonfat variants, sherbet, and frozen yogurt, greatly surpasses the 2.35 million gallons of traditional ice cream imported — a mere 0.18% of domestic production.
Similarly, the U.S. exported 16.4 million gallons between total domestic production of 1.31 billion gallons of ice cream — just over 1%. The fraction is so minuscule that one wonders why Biden and Harris could not manage to then maintain the surplus rather than slip into a deficit?
When addressing ice cream trade, it’s necessary to note that mixes used for creating shakes and soft-serve items are generally not included in the data. These mixes account for a significant chunk of U.S. ice cream exports, and had they been accounted for, the trade picture could have been significantly different.
Despite the dwindling export numbers for traditional ice cream and edible ice during Biden’s term, it is observed that the export figures for these mixes have remained resilient. Over the past five years, exports of U.S. milk-based drinks have ballooned by 621%. In 2024, the U.S. exported nearly $35 million in mixes to the European Union.
Despite Biden’s public admiration of ice cream, his tenure has seen a decline in the consumption of regular dairy ice cream — a category that excludes frozen yogurt, sherbet, or non-fat and low-fat ice creams. This ironic twist, along with the fluctuating trade figures, casts a long, chilly shadow over Biden’s claims to champion the ice cream industry.
The post Biden and Harris: From Sweet Surplus to Sour Deficit in Ice Cream Trade appeared first on Real News Now.
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