Cheese

Retail demand for cheese in India continued to grow in 2023, as major players introduced new variants and expanded their ranges to cater for different consumption occasions. There is increasing demand for Western breakfasts among urban households,…

Amongst the key categories within dairy, cheese stands out as one of the primary products derived from pure milk. Given its significance in the dairy chain, this category has been one of the most affected by significant structural changes imposed on…

Cheese is a strongly rooted, highly mature category in Belgium with it forming the basis of many meals and dishes. Following the strong growth during the peak of the pandemic, demand for cheese declined strongly both in 2021 and 2022. This was due to…

In retail value terms, cheese was amongst the most dynamic categories in dairy in Switzerland in 2023. Aiding these figures, is the increasing variety of cheese products available in Switzerland, which is well-known for its cheese production. In…

The cheese category is growing in volume and value terms. Inflation is driving the value growth of the category while the functional and health effects provided by consuming cheese are driving the volume growth of the category, where spreadable…

Swedes consume cheese on many occasions during the day; for breakfast with sandwiches and using it in meals, while premium cheese is often indulged on and offered on cheese platters. As such, some cheeses are specifically positioned to be indulgent…

Like butter and spreads, cheese remains one of the smaller categories within dairy products and alternatives in Vietnam, as it is not traditionally used in the local cuisine. A low level of awareness amongst the local population is also evident due…

The cheese market witnessed a decline in volume sales in 2022, largely as a result of the impact of the high rate of inflation, which led to significant increases in the price of cheese products. Companies revised their pricing constantly during the…

Cheese, as a product area, witnesses a substantial volume decline in 2023, although the rate of decline is less steep in comparison to the pronounced contraction observed in 2022. This decline can be attributed to the ongoing impact of challenging…

Volume sales of cheese are experiencing stagnation in 2023 due to its high price, which peaked in 2022 as a result of the rising cost of logistics and energy. Inflation pressure is improving in 2023; however, economic uncertainty prevails. Consumer…

Retail volume sales of cheese continued to decline in 2023, albeit at a lower rate than the previous year. Growth was hampered by inflationary pressures, which made it harder for Slovak households to afford to consume the product on a daily basis.…

Though cheese is expected to register double-digit current value growth, volume sales are expected to fall slightly. Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine is negatively impacting the Kazak economy and…

Across the review period, innovation was strong on the cheese category. Until recently, Greek law mandated the pasteurisation of milk for health reasons. However, a new legislation framework across the review period allowed cheese production from raw…

In 2023, cheese consumption continues to grow in Bolivia, encouraged by higher levels of milk production, with much of the overcapacity being channelled for cheese production. While prices are expected to rise for cheese, they are not expected to be…

In 2023, cheese in South Korea is expected to continue to thrive in retail current value terms, building on the positive growth observed in the previous year. However, a notable opposite trend has emerged in volume terms, as all cheese categories…

Cheese retail prices have started to fall in 2023, following the sharp spike in the previous year, leading to a slight recovery in retail volume sales. Dairy leader Arla Foods has begun to lower prices, with supermarkets and competitors following its…

Retail price inflation slowed down in 2023 and this had a positive effect on the cheese category, with retail volume sales rising at a steady pace. Still, the cheese category remains import-dependent, a factor that also influences pricing. The war in…

Cheese is expected to be one of the weaker dairy performers in 2023, with more muted volume growth. Hard cheese in particular performs badly and is expected to register a fall in volume sales, with soft, more affordable soft cheese continuing to…

Similar to butter, the demand for cheese began to wane in the latter half of 2022. Consumers reverted to their habits of dining out, leading to a decreased inclination to cook and bake at home.

Queso fresco (fresh cheese) is the most consumer cheese in Ecuador. In this category, the participation of the informal industry is very pronounced as cheese consumption is very regional. Each area is accustomed to the type of cheese that is produced…

Despite continued inflationary pressures, cheese continued to exhibit a robust performance in retail volume terms in 2023. As the cost of cheese was prohibitive for some consumers, economy-priced spreadable and processed offerings, such as Cheese…

The cheese category is set to experience muted retail volume growth in 2023, due to a double-digit increase in the average unit price. Significant rises in prices have been limiting consumer purchases, leading to only slow growth in cheese…

Cheese saw modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023, in contrast to the flat performance of the previous year. While inflationary pressures, driven by surging energy and food prices, receded slightly, demand was constrained by a loss of…

In response to the rise of competition from plant-based cheeses, dairy cheese producers in Poland are innovating with new flavours and types. Dublin Dairy has introduced 100g slices of Maasdam, a cheese known for its rich, sweet, buttery taste with a…

Following high double-digit price growth in 2022, the slight price decrease in 2023 positively influenced the retail volume growth of this market. However, cheese remains a product that is considered a non-basic food item by many, and as such, it is…

Cheese is expected to register muted constant value growth, but healthy volume growth in 2023. A significant number of newly-arrived migrants from Ukraine, escaping from the war, is also expected to increase volume sales. However, inflation is…

Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…

Cheese consumption in Cameroon is significantly limited, primarily due to cultural factors. Despite its widespread popularity and versatility in many regions around the world, cheese has struggled to establish itself in Cameroon. The country’s…

Lactose-free varieties have gained popularity at the expense of standard cheese in 2023. While this is partly due to the well-established tendency towards rising health awareness among the population, many consumers have also become more willing to…

Soft cheese is witnessing the strongest increase in current value sales in 2023, with retail price inflation largely responsible for the growth. Since the end of 2022, price increases have also been exacerbated by a reduction in supplies of soft…

Cheese has been the most dynamic category in dairy in current value and retail volume terms in 2023. The shift from unpackaged to packaged formats is an important driver of this trend, but also the positioning of cheese as an affordable source of…

The traditional cheese sector in the Netherlands is facing a series of challenges in 2023, with a continued dip in retail volume sales. This is the result of several factors, including soaring cheese prices leading to fewer purchases among local…

Cheese continues to see falling retail volume sales in Norway in 2023, though at a much slower rate than was recorded in 2022. The persistent decline in demand for cheese has been accentuated by the post-pandemic return to life outside the home and…

Although in general Spanish consumers reduced the frequency of their shopping trips in 2022, opting for a more planned purchases, there was no major drop in the consumption of cheese. Cheese is considered a staple in the Spanish diet and as such…

Two distinct trends emerged within the spreadable cheese segment in the first half of 2023. Firstly, the growing popularity of single unit sales, constituting three-quarters of total cheese sales in portions. Economic constraints prompted…

Cheese is expected to be one of the strongest performing dairy products in 2023, with double-digit value growth, as well as healthy volume growth. Lower-income buyers continue to consume unpackaged soft cheese (usually unbranded), which is available…

Inflation has had a noticeable impact on demand for cheese in Germany, prompting consumers to substitute higher-priced cheese varieties with cheaper alternatives. After a price increase of more than 20% since the first quarter of 2022, consumers are…

In 2023, the High Court of Singapore ruled that the term “Parmesan” is a translation of the Italian term “Parmigiano Reggiano”. According to the ruling, only Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) cheese produced in a particular…

Raw milk is a fundamental ingredient in cheese production, and when the cost of this ingredient increases, producers face numerous challenges that can lead to significant setbacks. There are several reasons that link the increasing cost of raw milk…

The war has taken its toll on the local economy with disposable income in most households being squeezed. As a result, some price-sensitive consumers are downtrading when it comes to shopping for cheese. For instance, some consumers are shifting to…

Cheese is experiencing the cross-category trend of value being supported by high prices, whereas volume is being suppressed by low consumer spending power in the inflationary context. The overall volume declines in cheese are also the consequence of…

The price of cheese in Italy has risen considerably towards the end of the review period. Higher pricing has been affected by several factors. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic crisis, its aftermath, and the outbreak of war in Ukraine have had…

Cheese in Egypt is witnessing small growth in current retail volume, and a huge increase in current retail value sales in 2023 due to the increases in price. The sector was still in recovery following the impact of COVID-19, when the war in Ukraine…

Cheese is set to see solid growth in retail current value terms in Japan in 2023, largely driven by unit price increases due to inflation and the rising cost of raw materials and energy. Major dairy players such as Megmilk Snow Brand, Meiji Co Ltd,…

2023 saw rising demand for premium cheese brands with a clear health and wellness positioning as Irish consumers became increasingly interested in products that can help them to improve their dietary intake. The desire to improve one’s diet to…

While current value sales of cheese is expected to grow in 2023, constant value sales are expected to fall. This weak performance is reflected in the economy, which contracted in the first half of 2023. An unpopular government, bad weather, high…

The cheese sector in Tunisia has been facing challenges due to the presence of illicit trade and smuggled products in 2022 and 2023. Mainly sold in traditional grocery retailers, these smuggled cheese products come from popular brands such as Kraft,…

The local cheese industry is facing challenges in 2023, as imported products are favoured by retailers. In February 2023, the Serbian government introduced an import duty of 30 dinars per kilogram of cheese to protect domestic production from the…

The dominant category in both retail volume and value terms, processed cheese (excluding spreadable), is being developed by significant new product development towards the end of the review period. The domestic foodservice operator QSR Trading Sdn…

Butter expected to register healthy current value growth, but minimal volume growth. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high inflation is continuing to have an effect and consumers are expected to be…