Why there could be a 99 Flake shortage facing the UK this summer

The iconic 99 Flake - a vanilla soft serve ice cream with a chocolate Flake - is a classic summer treat, and as restrictions around the UK ease, it appears that it’s the number one thing Brits are after.

The newest challenge facing the UK is a shortage of Cadbury 99 Flakes, with a surge in demand leaving ice-cream vans in short supply.

But why is a 99 ice cream called a 99? This is what you need to know.

Why are they called a 99?

While most might assume that the ice cream is called a 99 because they used to cost 99p, that is not actually the case.

Cadbury states that the “real reason for “99” Flake being so called has been lost in the mists of time”, however there are a number of popular theories floating around that claim to explain the origins of the name.

Even Cadbury offers up its own theory, saying “in the days of the monarchy in Italy, the King has a specially chosen guard consisting of 99 men, and subsequently, anything really special or first class was known as 99 - and that is how 99 Flake came by its name”.

Another claim is that the name comes from Portobello, in Scotland, when Stefano Arcari opened a shop at 99 Portobello High Street. Arcari would break a large Flake in half and stick it in an ice cream, with the name coming from the shop’s address.

Speaking to the BBC programme Balderdash and Piffle, Tanya Arcari, Stefano’s granddaughter, said: “It has been a family legend for as long as I can remember that my granddad invented the 99, but the problem is, we have no proof.”

Another similar claim says that the name comes from a sweet shop in Manchester called Dunerleys, which operated at 99 Wellington Street.