Why Your Ice Cream Addiction Might Be Unusually Expensive This Year
Picture this: It’s summer, and you’re on a beach vacation having basically the best day ever. What’s the one thing that could make it even better? Ice cream. Duh. While it usually costs a few bucks to treat yourself to the dessert of the season, that might not be the case this year. Why? There’s currently a shortage of Madagascar vanilla on the market, and it could end up making your favorite sweet a lot more expensive.
The crop shortage occurred largely due to the difficult cultivation process involved. Every flower has to be pollinated by hand and can only be done on one particular day during the growing season. Once pods are picked, they then need to be cured for six months. It’s also thought that vanilla farmers in Madagascar harvested their 2015 crop prematurely due to a fear of losing their production to thieves which could have added to the problem.
If you’re currently thinking, “That’s cool. I’m more of a chocolate fan anyway,” we’ve got some bad news for you. Whether you’re loyal to chocolate, strawberry or mint chip, almost all ice cream flavors have vanilla extract in them. Could we be down to pay $10 for a cone? Let’s just say it’s not out of the question.
What alternative summer dessert would you swap for ice cream? Share with us on Twitter @BritandCo.
(Photo via Getty)