The cheese industry is experiencing exponential growth, which this article briefly highlights. Join us as we unravel exciting stats about the cheese industry and consumption rates across different countries and regions.
Which Country Consumes the Most Cheese per Capita?
According to 2019 statistics, the Czech Republic was the highest consumer with a whopping 64 kg per capita. It was closely followed by Germany and France, with 37 kg and 25 kg per capita, respectively.
(Dairy Industries)
Exciting Statistics and Facts on Global Cheese Consumption
Now let‘s go through some of the most compelling statistics on cheese consumption and find out which corners of the world have the highest cheese consumption and how cheese consumption has grown over the years.
The 27 EU nations were the world‘s largest cheese consumers in 2021.
(Statista)
On average, Europeans consumed a whopping 20.44 kg of cheese per capita in 2020.
The US was the second-highest cheese consumer in 2021.
(Statista)
The US citizens consumed 17.89 kg of cheese per capita in 2021. This means that the numbers haven‘t significantly changed compared to 2017 (when the US consumed 39 lbs (17.69 kg) per capita).
The year 2020 was a monumental year for cheese consumption in the US.
(Supermarket Perimeter)
The pandemic forced many to stay at home, increasing the rate of in-home cooking. According to IRI surveys, 50.9% of shoppers started buying more cheese in 2020 as a result, with 45% reporting buying more cheese than usual to stockpile.
Cheese sales in the US grew by 18.1% to $3.4 billion in 2020.
(Supermarket Perimeter)
The amount of cheese sold in 2020 was 13 times higher than that in 2019 and a whopping 517 times higher than that in 2018.
US per capita cheese consumption has grown by approximately 8 lbs over the past two decades.
(Statista)
An average US consumer ate 40.2 lbs of cheese in 2020, representing an increase of 8.1 lbs from the 2000 value of 32.1 lbs.
Plant-based cheese sales increased in the US in 2020.
(Supermarket Perimeter)
An increased interest in alternative diets such as veganism and flexitarianism led to an increase in plant-based cheese sales in the US. There were 33% more buyers of plant-based cheese in 2020 compared with 2019.
Queso Blanco appears to be the US’s favorite type of cheese.
(Zippia)
Queso Blanco is a favorite in eight different US states (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Oklahoma).
Cream cheese is the second-favorite, favored by six states (Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Tennessee).
France’s cheese consumption rates hit record-high values during the lockdown.
(Forbes)
In 2020, cheeses made from cow‘s milk recorded the highest increase in sales (8.5%). Raclette was the most popular with a sales increase of 12.2%, followed by comté (8.2%) and Emmental (7.8%).
Filipinos were the lowest cheese consumers in 2021.
(CLAL)
The Philippines consumed only 1.12 kg of cheese per capita in 2021.
Conclusion
Cheese is clearly one of the world‘s (Europe‘s in particular) favorite food items, and this was clearly shown during the COVID-19 pandemic, which influenced cheese sales around the globe.
Sales and consumption rates keep growing, so the market is expected to further expand in the upcoming years.
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