Mozzarella has reinforced its position as one of the fastest growing cheese sectors in Germany.
The latest sales figures for 1998 show growth on the previous year of 9%, with over 15,000 tonnes of the cheese sold via the self-service shelves.
Fuelling the increase is a growing tendency towards own label sales and subsequent low price marketing. Milch Marketing magazine reckons that own label may now represent some 45% of all Mozzarella cheese sales in Germany.
The retail cost of the usual 125g Mozzarella ball in brine-filled sachets averaged around E0.70 throughout 1998. But some outlets are now said to be offering the product for 8% less than this.
In the self-service sector, the German market consists almost 100% of cows milk Mozzarella, but there are signs now of a limited swing towards the original