Happy Stecco Day
A day for celebrating packaged ice cream.
For the occasion of the #PackagedIceCreamDay on 28 May 2026, the Italian Ice Cream Institute (IGI) organised a dedicated morning at the Spazio Esposizioni in Rome bringing together both industry experts and nutritionists to explore the characteristics, properties and consumption trends of packaged ice cream in Italy.
Ice cream is both a summer treat, but a food which is also good for you. And in particular, nutritious and hydrating at the same time.
Whether fruit-based, cream-based, vegan or sustainable, its production is becoming increasingly versatile and eco-friendly, both in the choice of raw materials and in packaging which is increasingly focused on eco-design and compostable materials.
“It can be said that there is a type of ice cream to suit every taste and every health requirement every Italian estimated to consumes at least 3 kilos a year.”
According to an analysis in ‘The study of environmental performance in the production of packaged ice cream in Italy’, conducted by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa on behalf of the IGI, it emerges that 70% of the milk used is of Italian origin and that 98% of the cocoa comes from certified sustainable cultivation.
As for palm oil, when it is not been possible to replace it, what is used is certified according to the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) standard.
From Simple Scoop to Masterpiece
Chef Alessandro Circiello and mixologist Daniela Garcea came up with original ideas to reinterpret packaged ice cream in the form of gourmet desserts, cocktails and smoothies.
Here are a couple of recipes to surprise your friends. All you need is some ice cream and fruit!
WOWNILLA SHAKE by Daniela Garcea
Ingredients: 1 chocolate-coated vanilla ice lolly, 1 ripe frozen banana, fresh whole milk (added gradually)
Method: Peel and slice the banana into rounds, then freeze in a small bag for at least 4 hours. Remove the stick from the ice cream and chop it into pieces directly into the blender along with the banana slices. Blend, adding fresh whole milk a little at a time, just enough to keep the blender running and achieve the desired consistency. Serve immediately in glasses with pieces of fresh fruit.
ICE CAKE GELATO by Chef Circello
Ingredients: fresh fruit in season, 2 chocolate biscuits, 200g tub of ice cream (two flavours of your choice).
Method: Place a pastry ring on a dessert plate, alternating a chocolate biscuit with a layer of tub ice cream inside, levelling it well. Decorate with a tartare of fresh fruit cut into small pieces (e.g. diced strawberries).
From the other ice creams highlighted (and how to make them at home) the list is: Madagascar, Cordara, Magnolia and the superbly filling “Ice Cream Sandwich Biscuit of Two Consistencies.”
All the images above were made available to us for specific use in this article. Article text complied by Giuseppina Marcolini.