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Per Capita US Cheese Consumption Rose In 2009, Doesn’t Break Record

Per Capita Consumption Of American Cheese Sets Record; Italian, Swiss, Hispanic Cheese All Rise

Washington—Per capita US cheese consumption totaled 32.87 pounds in 2009, up 0.17 pound from 2009 but still 0.29 pounds below the record of 33.16 pounds set in 2007, figures released this week by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) show.

The decline in per capita cheese consumption recorded in 2008 had been the first drop since 1988, ERS figures showed.

In the decade just ended, per capita cheese consumption increased from 29.83 pounds in 2000 to 32.87 pounds last year, a gain of just over 3.0 pounds during the decade. By comparison, per capita cheese consumption increased 4.34 pounds in the 1990s, 6.26 pounds in the 1980s and 5.79 pounds in the 1970s.

When it comes to per capita consumption, the leading cheese category last year, for the seventh straight year, was Italian cheese.

At 13.96 pounds per person per year, Italian cheese consumption last year was up 0.01 pound from 2008 but 0.38 pounds below the record of 14.34 pounds, set in 2007. Last year was the fifth straight year that per capita Italian cheese consumption topped 13.0 pounds.

Per capita consumption of various Italian cheeses last year was as follows:
• Mozzarella: 10.64 pounds, up 0.05 pounds from 2008 but 0.40 pounds below the record of 11.04 pounds, set in 2007. Per capita Mozz consumption has topped 10 pounds for five straight years now.
• Provolone: 1.14 pounds, up 0.03 pounds from 2008 and a new record. Per capita Provolone consumption has exceeded 1.0 pound for six straight years, and is now double its level in 1986.
• Parmesan: 0.80 pounds, up 0.02 pounds from 2008 and a new record. Per capita Parmesan consumption has almost doubled since 1999, when it was 0.41 pounds.
• Ricotta: 0.80 pounds, unchanged from 2008 but down 0.09 pounds from 2007.
• Romano: 0.25 pounds, down 0.02 pounds from 2008 but still 0.10 pound higher than in 1988.
• Other: 0.34 pounds, down 0.06 pounds from 2008.

Per capita consumption of American cheese last year totaled a record 13.37 pounds, up 0.23 pounds from 2008, when the previous record was set. Last year was the third time in four years that per capita consumption of American cheese topped 13 pounds; the exception was in 2007, when it was 12.81 pounds.

Per capita Cheddar consumption last year was 10.10 pounds, up 0.03 pounds from 2008 but 0.50 pounds below the record of 10.60 pounds set back in 1987. Per capita Cheddar consumption has now topped 10 pounds for six straight years.

Per capita consumption of other American cheeses was 3.27 pounds last year, up 0.20 pounds from 2008 and the highest level sice 2003, when the record was set at 3.30 pounds.

Last year’s per capita consumption of Swiss cheese was 1.21 pounds, up 0.06 pounds from 2008 but down 0.07 pounds from 2007 and 0.15 pounds below the record set back in
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