Upward trend in cheese consumption almost universal Cheese consumption in the EU is expected to grow by over 2% this year to nearly 19kg per head. This follows a similar growth rate last year and means the EU as a whole is eating its way through an extra 300,000 tonnes of cheese annually in the space of two years. The upward trend is not uniform across all European countries as consumption is over 20kg per head in Germany, France, Italy and Greece, while in the UK and Ireland we eat cheese at about half this rate. The upward trend is, however, almost universal, particularly with the growing use of cheese in fast foods, pizzas and numerous other prepared and frozen meals and snacks. Imports of cheese into the EU only contribute just over 200,000 tonnes a year, or about 3% of total consumption, and are only growing slowly. This means that the EU cheese industry is facing the constant need to buy extra milk to feed the growing market. This is putting pressure on the EU milk quota system which virtually ensures a static supply of milk from EU dairy farms. As cheese production grows, this means less milk is available for other dairy products. This year, for example, it is expected that EU butter production will fall by around 65,000 tonnes or about 4% and, even more dramatically, skim milk powder output is expected to drop by 175,000 tonnes or around 16%. Thanks to our appetite for more cheese, there is no talk these days of butter and skim powder mountains, as seen in the 1980s and early 1990s. {{M/E CANNED GOODS }}

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