U.S. Cheese Production and Consumption at All Time High
Sunday, January 12th, 2014 -- 9:34 AM
-(Wisconsin Ag Connection) Not only is U.S. cheese production at an all-time high, but consumption of the dairy product has also never been greater.According to the Wisconsin Ag Connection, new data provided by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board indicates that total cheese output in the country has more than doubled over the past 25 years, totaling 10.89 billion pounds in 2012. And Wisconsin set the pace with 2.79 billion pounds produced that year, which means about a quarter of all the cheese made in the U.S.A. comes from the state.
Marilyn Wilkinson of the WMMB check-off says the steady growth in the cheese market is due in part to the popularity of specialty cheeses. American cheese consumption over the past 25 years has increased 39 percent, from 24.1 pounds to 33.5 pounds per capita, according to USDA figures.
And cheese has a number of current health benefits, too. It is a source of healthy protein, something that restaurant menu consultants says consumers can't get enough of.
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