California and Arizona are under a heat dome, with highs expected to top 110 degrees in some areas today. Patrons at Walt Disney World can expect temperatures nearly 100. And a significant part of the Southwestern U.S. is under either major or extreme heat warnings. But there is some good news: free ice cream!
Kroger is giving out 45,000 pints of its store brand ice cream to celebrate the official start of summer later this month. Those who are interested can pick up a coupon for the free grub starting June 20 (the day of the summer solstice) at FreeKrogerIceCream.com.
Here’s the bad news: Some of the states that are suffering the worst of the current heat wave won’t be eligible for the promotion, including California and Nevada. (Also ineligible: Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia.)
The coupons can be redeemed at most Kroger-owned brands, including Fred Meyer, PayLess, and Fry’s.
Ice cream might not be a diet food, but recent research shows it’s not quite as bad for you as you might think. A 2022 study by the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University ranked foods with a score of 0 to 100, based on a variety of criteria, from additives to vitamins to protein. In the end, ice cream was ranked higher than a multigrain bagel with raisins or multigrain bars, due to its protein and mix of fats and other vitamins.
As for the thinking behind the total number of giveaways? Kroger says it will give away 50 pints for every minute of sunlight on the solstice. Temperate latitudes generally see the sun above the horizon for about 15 hours on that day, which adds up to 900 minutes.