Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Slow, steady growth expected to continue
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of cheese, at current prices, 2012-22
- Natural cheese outstrips other types in consumption rates and frequency
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- Figure 2: Cheese consumption frequency, July 2017
- Taste drives consumption, other factors important but secondary
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- Figure 3: Reasons for purchasing cheese, July 2017
- The opportunities
- Versatility and health messages could help increase use frequency
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- Figure 4: Reasons for purchasing cheese, by natural cheese consumption frequency, July 2017
- Promoting snacking, other uses could spur growth among young adults
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- Figure 5: Cheese use occasions, by age, July 2017
- Give cheese lovers more ways to love cheese
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- Figure 6: Attitudes toward cheese, by natural cheese consumption frequency, July 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Slow, steady growth expected to continue
- Natural cheese increasingly dominant
- Continued dollar sales gains for cream cheese
Market Size and Forecast
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- Slow, steady growth expected to continue
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- Figure 7: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of cheese, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 8: Total US sales and forecast of cheese, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- Natural cheese increasingly dominant
- Continued dollar sales gains for cream cheese
- Cottage cheese sales trend down
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- Figure 9: Total US share of cheese, by segment, at current prices, 2017
- Figure 10: Total US sales of cheese, by segment, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Factors
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- Growing prevalence of snacking an opportunity for cheese
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- Figure 11: Snacking frequency, March 2017
- Cheese protein content in line with healthy snacking
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- Figure 12: Seeking in better-for-you foods, June 2016
- Fluctuation in dairy commodity prices impacts retail market
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- Figure 13: Natural cheese MULO sales growth rate, dollars vs volume, 2012-17*
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Store brands and Kraft continue to dominate category
- Reflecting the market, product launches skew more heavily to natural
- Free-from claims common on cheese packaging
Company Sales of Cheese
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- Store brands and Kraft lead category
- Market share holds steady across the category
- Sales of cheese by company
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- Figure 14: MULO sales of cheese, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
What’s Working?
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- Reflecting market, product launches skew more heavily to natural
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- Figure 15: Cheese launches by type, 2011-17*
- Free-from claims common on cheese packaging
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- Figure 16: Top cheese on-package claims, 2011-17*
- Velveeta runs counter to trend away from processed cheese
What’s Struggling?
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- Cottage cheese struggles to regain momentum
What’s Next?
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- Cheese expertise at retail
- The mainstreaming of premium cheese
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Natural cheese outstrips other types in consumption rates and frequency
- Taste drives consumption, other factors important but secondary
- Sandwiches top a long use-occasion list
- Taste the most influential selection factor
- A greater variety purchased may help drive consumption and sales
- Give cheese lovers more ways to love cheese
Cheese Consumption
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- Natural cheese outstrips other types in consumption rates and frequency
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- Figure 17: Cheese consumption frequency, July 2017
- Consumption frequency drops with age for all but natural cheese
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- Figure 18: Cheese consumption frequency – 2 to 3 times a week or more, by age, July 2017
- Hispanics more frequent consumers of cheese types other than natural
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- Figure 19: Cheese consumption frequency – 2 to 3 times a week or more, by race/Hispanic origin, July 2017
Reasons for Purchasing Cheese
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- Taste drives consumption, other factors important but secondary
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- Figure 20: Reasons for purchasing cheese, July 2017
- Versatility and health messages could help to increase use frequency
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- Figure 21: Reasons for purchasing cheese, by natural cheese consumption frequency, July 2017
Cheese Use Occasions
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- Sandwiches top a long use-occasion list
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- Figure 22: Cheese use occasions, July 2017
- Promoting snacking, other uses could spur growth among young adults
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- Figure 23: Cheese use occasions, by age, July 2017
Purchase Considerations
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- Taste the most influential selection factor
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- Figure 24: Cheese purchase considerations, July 2017
Purchase Behaviors
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- Consumers report increasing natural cheese purchases
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- Figure 25: Cheese purchase behaviors, July 2017
- A greater variety purchased may help to drive consumption and sales
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- Figure 26: Cheese purchase behaviors (purchase different types of natural cheese), by natural cheese consumption frequency and increasing/decreasing purchase of natural cheese, July 2017
Attitudes
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- A generally healthy image that could be leveraged even further
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- Figure 27: Attitudes toward cheese, July 2017
- Snacking and information key to reaching younger cheese eaters
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- Figure 28: Attitudes toward cheese, by age, July 2017
- Give cheese lovers more ways to love cheese
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- Figure 29: Attitudes toward cheese, by natural cheese consumption frequency, July 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 30: Total US sales and forecast of cheese, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 31: Total US retail sales and forecast of natural cheese, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 32: Total US retail sales and forecast of processed cheese, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 33: Total US retail sales and forecast of cream cheese, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 34: Total US retail sales and forecast of cottage cheese, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 35: Total US retail sales of cheese, by channel, at current prices, 2012-17
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 36: MULO sales of natural cheese, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 37: MULO sales of cottage cheese, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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- Figure 38: MULO sales of processed cheese, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 39: MULO sales of cream cheese, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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