Cheese is still popular
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Someone asked me what dairy I eat regularly over the weekend. Cheese, I said. Plus milk, a lot of yogurt, some butter and a bit of kefir. So, it was blue cheese, cream cheese, those little Babybels, and a slice of cheddar for the sandwich. Ah yes, not to forget, some grated Parmigiano Reggiano for the pasta. It seems I am not alone in enjoying cheese and I am sure a lot of you also have the same experience.
The FAO Dairy Price Index increased for the sixth consecutive month, up 2.9% from February, led by rising world cheese and butter prices. It averaged 124.2 points in March, up 3.5 points from February, marking the sixth consecutive monthly increase, but remained 11.1 points (8.2%) below its value in the corresponding month last year. In March, world cheese prices increased the most, reflecting the steady import demand from Asia, higher internal sales in Western Europe leading to the spring holidays, and seasonally falling production in Oceania.
As a recent visit to the IFE showed, what people are continuing to do is eat cheese. The UK’s biggest plans for export are in the cheese sector. In a way, cheese has always been a travelling food. It can be stored for months, and still tastes delicious. It is nutritious and filling. Perfect for any long journeys one has planned.
And there will be no better place to eat cheese, than at the International Cheese & Dairy Awards in June. Held at the Staffordshire County Showground on 27 June, it will be a convening of thousands of like-minded dairy folks, eating cheese and talking about the industry. We will also be discussing other types of dairy products, because as we all know, dairy comes in a wonderful range of types and flavours. Come visit!
- Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine
