Northeastern U.S. Cheese Market Plants Steady Gains

Cheese producers in the Northeast are observing plenty of good news as of late. Class I orders remain robust, while local milk production has increased, freeing up supplies for local processing and providing plenty of inventory for cheese production. Plus, the demand for cheddar cheese is stronger than other American-type cheeses, and mozzarella is the even more popular Italian-type cheese. So, what else is new in the Northeastern U.S. cheese market? Read on to learn more.

Retail Cheese Prices Stay Strong

The National Retail Report last week reported 6-8-ounce packages of shredded cheese as the most advertised conventional cheese item, with a national weighted average advertised price of $2.25. That was down from the previous week, when the advertised price was $2.42. Shredded cheese in 6-8-ounce packages averaged $2.24 in the Northeastern U.S.

Cheese Prices Increase on CME

Industry cash exchanges listed cheese blocks as closing at $1.6800 last Wednesday. However, that price went up to $1.7025 as of report publishing time.

U.S. Export Assistance Program Accepts Requests

This week, a cooperative export assistance program accepted requests for export assistance on contracts to sell 84,000 pounds (38 metric tons) of American-type cheese and 267,000 pounds (121 metric tons) of cream cheese. To date this year, the program has committed to assisting member cooperatives on contracts to sell 36.4 million pounds of American-type cheeses and 7.2 million pounds of cream cheese in export markets.

U.S. Cheese and Curd Imports and Exports

In August, U.S. cheese and curd imports comprised of 41.4 million lbs., a 5% increase from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the total amount for January thru August is 265.5 million lbs. The top five country of origins for cheese and curd were Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Nicaragua. For exports, August reported 82.1 million lbs., a 3% decline from a year earlier. The total for the first eight months of the year is 634.6 million lbs. The top five destinations for cheese and curd exports were Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Canada.

Stay Informed

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