Cheese With a Foreign Accent

Americans love their cheese. According to the 2008 “What’s in Store” annual trends report from the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA), Madison, WI, per capita U.S. cheese consumption reached 32.3 lbs. in 2007, with a forecasted increase to 42 lbs. by 2013. The report also notes an increasing consumer acceptance of ethnic cheeses.

The report says that Italian cheeses continue as the most-popular ethnic types in the United States. In fact, domestic manufacture of Italian cheeses surpassed that of American natural cheeses for the first time in 2006, accounting for almost 4 billion of the 9.5 billion pounds of cheese produced in 2006, much of it consumed in restaurants and other foodservice establishments.

IDDBA also notes Latin American and Spanish cheeses are no longer a niche market, as an increasing number of non-Hispanic consumers incorporate them into their cooking. Half of the top-10 fastest growing specialty cheeses at retail are Hispanic varieties.

—The Editors

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Food Product Design: Ethnic Cheese Perceptions