Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Slight annual growth expected
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of cheese, at current prices, 2013-23
- Consumers avoiding processed
- Usage largely confined to only a few varieties
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- Figure 2: Consumption of cheese varieties, July 2018
- The opportunities
- Increasing awareness of cheese’s healthy attributes
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- Figure 3: Healthy reasons for cheese consumption, by age, July 2018
- Specialty cheese options for on-the-go usage
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- Figure 4: Cheese use opinions, July 2018
- Capitalizing on cheese’s role as a healthy indulgence
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- Figure 5: Health and cheese, July 2018
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Slight growth reflects largely mature category
- Natural options dominate
- Cheese in a healthy snack
Market Size and Forecast
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- Slight annual growth expected
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- Figure 6: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of cheese, at current prices, 2013-23
- Figure 7: Total US sales and forecast of market, at current prices, 2013-23
Market Breakdown
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- Natural options dominate market
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- Figure 8: Sales of cheese, by segment, in billions, 2018 (est)
- Figure 9: Sales of cheese, by segment, 2013-23
- Supermarket dominance could shift
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- Figure 10: Total US retail sales of cheese, by channel, at current prices, 2013-18
Market Factors
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- Impact of dairy commodity prices
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- Figure 11: Natural cheese MULO sales growth, dollar sales versus volume sales, 2014-18*
- Natural perceived as healthier
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- Figure 12: Description of natural/organic, April 2017
- Leveraging cheese’s healthy attributes
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- Figure 13: Snacking frequency, March 2017
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Brand factors more outside of natural cheese
- Added health, added appeal
- Challenges for processed cheese
- Improving dairy-free cheeses requires flavor innovation, lower price
Company and Brand Sales of Cheese
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- Private label dominates market share
- Sales of cheese by company
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- Figure 14: Sales of cheese, by company, 2017 and 2018
What’s Working?
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- Healthy but at a cost
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- Figure 15: Natural cheese introductions, 2017-18
What’s Struggling?
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- Processed sales slump
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- Figure 16: Processed cheese introductions, 2017-18
What’s Next?
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- Plant-based potential
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- Figure 17: Plant-based cheese introductions, 2017-18
- Figure 18: Product attributes, select plant-based cheese launches, 2017-18
- Naturally avoiding GMOs
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- Figure 19: GMO-free claims on cheese introductions, 2013-18
- Farm-to-fork becomes lab-to-plate
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Growth demands increasing frequency
- Younger consumers embrace wider variety of cheeses
- Highlight cheese's healthy details
- Leveraging cheese's versatility
- Moving cheese beyond sandwiches
- Young consumers shopping around at non-supermarket channels
- Brands resonate with Hispanic consumers
- No need for natural claims
Cheese Consumption
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- Natural cheese usage widespread
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- Figure 20: Cheese consumption, July 2018
- Dairy-free and processed cheese of significantly greater interest to younger consumers
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- Figure 21: Cheese consumption, by age, July 2018
- Six in 10 dairy-free cheese consumers eat it at least weekly
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- Figure 22: Cheese consumption frequency, July 2018
Consumption of Cheese Varieties
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- Cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan are most popular varieties
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- Figure 23: Consumption of cheese varieties, July 2018
- Younger consumers eating a variety of cheese types
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- Figure 24: Consumption of cheese varieties, by age, July 2018
- Figure 25: Kraft Expertly Paired cheeses, 2018
- Versatility’s appeal
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- Figure 26: Reasons for eating cheese, by consumption of cheese varieties, July 2018
Reasons for Consumption
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- Taste tops reasons for cheese consumption
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- Figure 27: Reasons for cheese consumption, July 2018
- Parents like cheese’s versatility, snackability
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- Figure 28: Reasons for cheese consumption, by gender and parental status, July 2018
Nutrition Driven Reasons for Consumption
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- Possible lack of awareness of cheese’s healthy attributes among younger consumers
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- Figure 29: Healthy reasons for cheese consumption, by age, July 2018
Uses Other Than a Snack
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- Sandwich usage most widespread application for cheese
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- Figure 30: Non-snack cheese usage, July 2018
Purchase Location
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- Most consumers purchase at supermarkets
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- Figure 31: Purchase location, July 2018
- Younger consumers purchase from a variety of retailers
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- Figure 32: Purchase location, by age, July 2018
Purchase Factors
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- Resealable packaging resonates
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- Figure 33: Purchase factors, July 2018
- Hispanic consumers drawn to brand
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- Figure 34: Purchase factors, by Hispanic origin, July 2018
- Packaging with flavor and brand power
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- Figure 35: TURF analysis, purchase factors, July 2018
Natural Claims on Consumption
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- Natural resonates even over healthy attributes
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- Figure 36: Healthy purchase factors, July 2018
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- Figure 37: Purchase considerations, by cheese consumption frequency, July 2018
Health Opinions and Cheese
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- Healthy indulgence to increase consumption
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- Figure 38: Health and cheese, July 2018
- Organic claims could lure younger consumers
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- Figure 39: Health and cheese, by age, July 2018
- Hispanics, especially Millennials, express health-related concerns about cheese
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- Figure 40: Health and cheese, by Hispanic origin, July 2018
Opinions about Cheese Consumption
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- Consumer interest in new cheese options, on-the-go usage
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- Figure 41: Cheese use opinions, July 2018
- Free-range resonating much more strongly among younger consumers
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- Figure 42: Cheese use opinions, by age and gender, July 2018
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 43: Total US sales and forecast of cheese, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2013-23
- Figure 44: Total US retail sales of cheese, by segment, at current prices, 2016 and 2018
- Figure 45: Total US retail sales and forecast of natural cheese, at current prices, 2013-23
- Figure 46: Total US retail sales and forecast of natural cheese, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2013-23
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- Figure 47: Total US retail sales and forecast of processed cheese, at current prices, 2013-23
- Figure 48: Total US retail sales and forecast of processed cheese, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2013-23
- Figure 49: Total US retail sales and forecast of cream cheese/cream cheese spreads, at current prices, 2013-23
- Figure 50: Total US retail sales and forecast of cream cheese/cream cheese spreads, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2013-23
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- Figure 51: Total US retail sales and forecast of cottage cheese, at current prices, 2013-23
- Figure 52: Total US retail sales and forecast of cottage cheese, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2013-23
- Figure 53: Total US retail sales of cheese, by channel, at current prices, 2016 and 2018
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- Figure 54: US supermarket sales of cheese, at current prices, 2013-18
- Figure 55: US sales of cheese through other retail channels, at current prices, 2013-18
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 56: Multi-outlet sales of natural cheese, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2017 and 2018
- Figure 57: Multi-outlet sales of processed cheese, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2017 and 2018
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- Figure 58: Multi-outlet sales of cream cheese and cream cheese spreads, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2017 and 2018
- Figure 59: Multi-outlet sales of cottage cheese, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2017 and 2018
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Appendix – TURF Analysis Methodology
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- Figure 60: Table – TURF analysis – Purchase considerations, July 2018
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