Cheese Producers News & Northeastern U.S. Cheese Market

Farm level milk outputs continue to decline in the Northeast, causing cheese plant managers to report that production has slowed as milk volumes are down. That said, inventories remain comfortable for the time being – with cheddar in higher demand than other American-type cheeses at the moment. Food service and retail demands are noted to be steady, according to the National Retail Report.

Shredded cheese in 6-8-ounce packages was the most advertised conventional dairy product overall, with a weighted average advertised price of $2.49, up 4 cents from last week. Market prices for cheese blocks on industry cash exchanges closed at $1.8625 last Wednesday and rose to $1.96 as of report publishing time this week. In the Northeast, wholesale prices for cheddar and muenster are up $0.2375 and process cheese prices are up $0.2775. Grade A Swiss prices are unchanged.

Furthermore, a cooperative export assistance program accepted requests for export assistance on contracts to sell 93,000 pounds (42 metric tons) of American-type cheese and 454,000 pounds (206 metric tons) of cream cheese. So far this year, the program has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 27.6 million pounds of American-type cheeses and 5.9 million pounds of cream cheese in export markets.

Wholesale Selling Prices

Delivered, the prices for the period of July 31 – August 4, 2023, are as follows:

• Cheddar 40 pound Block: prices range from $2.3350 - $2.6225 in the Northeastern U.S.
• Muenster: prices range from $2.3225 - $2.6725 in the Northeastern U.S.
• Process American 5 pound Sliced: prices range from $1.8950 - $2.3750 in the Northeastern U.S.
• Swiss 10-14 pound Cuts: prices range from $3.5400 - $5.8625 in the Northeastern U.S.

Cheese Prices Over Time

Here are the trends in cheese prices over the past week:

• On August 3, a barrel cost $1.8250 and a 40-pound block cost $1.9600.
• On August 2, a barrel cost $1.8700 and a 40-pound block cost $1.9600.
• On August 1, a barrel cost $1.8700 and a 40-pound block cost $1.9600.
• On July 31, a barrel cost $1.8700 and a 40-pound block cost $1.9600.
• On July 28, a barrel cost $1.7625 and a 40-pound block cost $1.9075.

As the Northeast cheese market continues to report noteworthy updates and insights, stay up-to-date with the latest news by following our LinkedIn page.