ACCENT ON CHEESE -

TODAY’S TREND IN CHEESE RETAILING

Cheese. It’s growing on us.

According to Cheese: Natural and Specialty Cheese in the U.S. and Global Markets, 5th Edition, retail dollar sales in the specialty cheese market will grow by four percent through 2018. USDA figures concur, telling us that cheese consumption is at an all-time high, increasing 42 percent over the last 25 years.

Why so? Today’s consumers need to know where their food comes from, says the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board; natural cheese accounts for close to 80 percent volume share of the total retail cheese category.

This ongoing trend toward natural, artisan foods will impact the ways Americans eat in 2016 in the following ways:

MORE CHEESEMONGERS

A preference for natural, artisan cheeses means shoppers will demand more from their retailers, says a recent report from the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) – bringing more cheesemongers and local cheese experts to the deli departments.