Summer of 99s? Not if councils have a say! Curbs on diesel vans running their engines could make the seaside favourite harder to get, experts warn
The tinkling chimes of a Mr Whippy van have long been a fixture of British summers.
But curbs on the vans running their diesel engines to keep the ice cream soft enough to serve could make the beloved 99 harder to come by, it has emerged.
Organisers of festivals and fairgrounds are increasingly asking vendors to switch off engines to limit fumes and wasted fuel. Councils are also making similar demands over lucrative pitches in parks and at sea fronts, The Sunday Times reported.
With electric-powered ice cream vans costing as much as £180,000, some traditional vendors fear they will have to ditch Mr Whippy and only stock pre-packaged or soft-scoop ice creams.
Curbs on the vans running their diesel engines to keep the ice cream soft enough to serve could make the beloved 99 harder to come by, it has emerged
Katy Alston, president of the trade body Ice Cream Alliance, said 95 per cent of sales in the blazing heat were 99s.
Ice cream van vendors have also warned soaring diesel costs are putting businesses ‘at breaking point’.
Ms Alston said: ‘The public, and particularly event organisers, believe we should be using electric ice cream vans to be more environmentally friendly.’
But she said electric vans were cripplingly expensive and not fully proven.
Mr Whippy machines can be altered to be electrically powered – Frankie Fernando, 56, has had five of his machines adapted at a total cost of £12,500.
The tinkling chimes of a Mr Whippy van have long been a fixture of British summers. But curbs on the vans running their diesel engines to keep the ice cream soft enough to serve could make the beloved 99 harder to come by, it has emerged [File photo]
He said the move meant ‘you’ve got no noise, you’ve got no wear and tear of the engine, you’re saving on diesel and it is better for the environment’.
Ice cream van businesses have also warned soaring diesel costs had put the industry ‘at breaking point’ – especially with the most prized pitches costing as much as £25,000-a-year.
Colourful claims that soft mix ice cream technology was devised in part by Margaret Thatcher in her days as a food research scientist have been debunked as a myth.
Mr Whippy ice creams were introduced to the UK in 1958 by businessman Dominic Facchino.
The brand was later bought by Wall’s – now owned by Unilever – although it is now a generic trademark, meaning other suppliers can use it too.
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