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French eat record amounts of cheese to help them through pandemic

Cheese consumption skyrocketed last year, as French people turned to comfort food during lockdown.

Published: 14 March 2021 11:23 CET
French eat record amounts of cheese to help them through pandemic
Cheese consumption reached record highs in France in 2020. Photo: Georges Gobet/AFP

According to data from FranceAgriMer-Kantar, home delivery of cheese saw a huge increase last year, thanks to high demand for comfort foods.

Cow’s-milk cheeses where the most popular, with sales increasing by 8.5%. 

However it was an Italian cheese, mozzarella, that was by far the favourite among French people, with a 21.2% increase. It was followed by raclette (+12.2%), a melted-cheese dish that is a winter favourite, and comté (+8.2%)

READ ALSO: This is how much the French are obsessed with cheese

With the French deprived of restaurants, sales of raclette machines increased by a whopping 300% during France’s second lockdown last year.

The French gobbled up 34,000 tonnes of the melted cheese in 2020.

READ ALSO: How to make one of France’s most popular cheese classics

While these were the clear favourites, all cheese saw an increase in demand, including those that had become unpopular in recent years such as coulommiers (+5.6%) and camembert (+2.2%).

Goat’s cheeses increased by 7.2%, and organic cow’s milk cheeses also saw a spike in popularity (increase of 6.2%) in 2020.

However, despite this increase in demand from individuals, the industry is still suffering from restaurant closures.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

From cheese types to the amount eaten per year, via cheese favourites - here's a look at how France really feels about fromage.

Published: 27 March 2024 14:16 CET
Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

March 27th is the Journée nationale du fromage in France – so here are a few facts about the delicious dairy delicacy.

246

Charles de Gaulle famously once asked of governing France: “How can anyone govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese?”.

His numbers were wrong. Producers in France make closer to 1,000 varieties of cheese – and some have estimated that figure could be pushed up as high as 1,600.

8

The number of cheese ‘families’ in France. A good cheeseboard in France is generally considered to consist of at least three ‘families’ – a soft cheese, a hard cheese and either a blue or a goat’s cheese. Remember, too, an odd number of fromages on a platter is better than an even number, according from cheese etiquettists

READ ALSO France Facts: There are eight cheese families in France

2.5

About how long – in years – it would take you to try every cheese made in France, if you tried a new variety every day. Life goals. 

95

The percentage of people in France who say they eat cheese at least once a week, spending seven percent of their weekly food bill on it.

READ ALSO Best Briehaviour: Your guide to French cheese etiquette

40

Two-fifths of French people say they eat cheese every day

57

The amount of cheese produced, in kilogrammes, in France every second, according to this website, which has a counter to show you how fast that really is. It’s estimated that 1.8 million tonnes of cheese are produced in France every year.

27

The French consume, on average, a whopping 27 kilogrammes of cheese per person per year.

READ ALSO Fonduegate: Why customer service is different in France

3

The three most popular cheeses in France, based on sales, are Emmental, Camembert, and Raclette – followed by mozzarella, goat’s cheese, Comté and Coulommiers.

63

Some 63 cheeses have been awarded the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status, which means they can only be produced in a certain region.

1

France has – or at least soon will have – one dedicated cheese museum. 

READ ALSO Three things to know about the new Paris cheese museum

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