Cheese in 2023: A Category Snapshot

According to IRI, total U.S. Retail Cheese (defined as fixed + random weight cheeses) volume saw strong growth when consumers were largely at home during the 2020-21 pandemic years. Average annual growth for total retail cheese between 2019 and 2021 was 4.5%. Given economic uncertainties and high inflation, cheese sales experienced a small downturn in 2022. Looking more closely, the average price for cheese in 2022 was up 8% compared to the preceding year. While volume was down -0.1% for 2022 through December 25 (51 weeks) 2022, volume flattened during the IRI’s latest six-week period including the recent holiday period.—Source: Dairy Management Inc.