Cheese Makers Reel as Pandemic Sows Market Chaos

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The U.S. cheese industry is reeling from seven months of chaos as the pandemic causes upheaval in prices and demand

Prices for cheeses from mozzarella to cheddar hit near-record highs this month, but cheese makers are on edge after sharp swings in demand have thrown their production plans into disarray. Those soaring prices have also scrambled planning for buyers from pizza chains to grocery stores, prompting restaurants to limit purchases to avoid getting stuck with expensive inventories if the pandemic slashes business again.

Restaurants nervous about ordering cheese they can’t use are buying products just one month in advance versus their typical approach of booking purchases up to a year early, said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nationwide restaurant closures at the beginning of the pandemic cratered cheese sales and sent prices for 40-pound blocks of cheddar, the industry benchmark, to $1 per block, the lowest since 2003. Lots of cheese makers slowed or halted production, helping lead dairy cooperatives that sell farmers’ milk to curb their own output by asking members to dump millions of gallons or cull their herds.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTSWhat changes in food pricing and availability have you seen where you shop? Join the conversation below. “It’s been chaos,” said Jeffrey Schwager, chief executive of Wisconsin-based Sartori Co., which sells cheese to grocers, pizza chains and food manufacturers. “Some weeks we’re literally working seven days a week, running plants 24 hours per day,” he said. “Other days we’re looking for work.”

“The change in demand is happening very quickly,” said Heather Anfang, head of Land O’Lakes Inc.’s U.S. dairy foods division. Ms. Anfang said the cooperative’s cheese sales to schools have dropped by about 30% as millions of children attend school remotely, or part-time, and schools now want more individual servings, like string cheese, rather than bulk bags of frozen macaroni and cheese.

 

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Sing Hal-haloumi Sing it, sing Hal-haloumi Sing it, yeah Sing Hal-haloumi 🎼 Lower cheese prices, pretty bries. 🙏🏻

The Great Cheese Bubble of 2020. History will remember these times.

nckpieper did u see this

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That ain’t gouda.

I love cheese but covid 19 loves cheese too. Sorry to say but I would avoid dairy during the pandemic. Just sayin' if you are lactose intolerant, Stay away from the cow. You ever wonder why Asians eat very little red meat and hardly any dairy products? Their bad is raw fish.

BUY LOW SELL HIGH

Fuck cheese

And 2020 just keeps getting weirder and worse

The power of cheese.

2020 will be remembered for The Big Cheese crash while the pandemic will be forgotten

Hey ! Cut-the-cheese price increases.😄

MasterGibbs_

So wait, am I going to lose cheese? Will we be now both cheerless AND cheeseless? Can’t take much more.

Good riddance.

Does anyone actually look at the price of cheese?

This headline is straight from a jasperfforde book.

Nooo! This year just keeps getting worse :/

Newsflash!!! Animals produce milk for their babies that we strip from them while they literally cry out for each other. Cow titty juice was never meant for you!!!!

Why cheese?

2020 just won't quit

We have a US cheese reserve just for this reason... FunFacts

I gave up cheese thanks to trump voters.

sounds like bad news for you IdolHellVictim

I have zero problems breaking up with cheese

All my money is in swiss, my friend went for the american singles, I told him it was a bad idea

Cc cookingwithamy

Maybe if they didn't dump so much milk cheese would be so expensive

How about reporting what’s going on in PHILADELPHIA! Or did Twitter block that?

The mouse takes the... oh no!

It’s 2020 anything can happen.

That’s a sharp one to swallow jack now I feel blue

I'm calling a lid on this fkn year! There are 4 things I NEED in life & they are: cheese, bread, coffee and chocolate. The prices of all these is goin up but my income ain't?🤔

Ok guys it just got real.

RusticMeerkat

schnitzel_AD 😮😬

A d they say Trump admin is not for businesses her he goes and orders cheese for food banks

NO! I won’t make it if we can’t have cheese! 😭😭😭

That explains why my (unopened) cheese got moldy before the expiration date

I am trying to work, but not much is out there!! We are going to lose our hotel Sun. We have nowhere to go! If you could contribute or even just share our GoFundMe link, it would mean the world to us! crowdfunding pleasehelp HelpEachOther needyourhelp

Boo hoo

Pizza delivery is up though 🤔

Cheese has been expensive lately

Rat culture 🐀

Protect the cheese!

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Right as the weather was getting cold and was perfect to have Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup. I'm devastated.

Lower the price of cheese!

THE COMMON COLD (CORONA VIRUS) IS A MAN MADE VIRUS ... THE VIRUS WAS CREATED TO GET PEOPLE TO DEMAND A VACCINE

horrible

Not sure if the pandemic has people not eating. Hmm

Maybe they should stop the Scottish dancing and get back to making cheese, then!

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