© Karen K. Acevedo Cheese Shopper Facts According to the report: Suburban families and couples and larger, well-to-do urban families consume the most cheese. Households with incomes of $100,000 or more have a greater interest in specialty cheese, as do people who visit supermarket delis, specialty grocers or full-service restaurants. Cheese consumption drops among the 65-and-older set. Ethnic and racial groups also have a high rate of cheese consumption. For more information, or to order the report, call the IDDBA Education Department at 608-310-5000 or visit www.iddba.org.

They're especially interested in regional products or even products from a single farmstead, says the report.

This news bodes well for farmers involved in producing natural, organic, artisan and local cheeses, as well as cheeses made from blends of milk, which are all part of the trend.

Consumers Want Convenience
Consumers of such unique cheeses are also seeking convenience, so farmers will want to consider offering pre-shredded organic cheeses and specialty cheeses in snack stick form, the report suggests.

Sales of grated and crumbled cheese, string and stick cheese, cubed cheese, and natural cheese slices continue their substantial annual growth—as much as 17% in some cases.

Other Cheese Trends
Some other trends and opportunities detailed in What's In Store 2008:

Ethnic Cheeses: including the perennial popular Italian cheeses, which surpassed the production of American natural cheeses for the first time in 2006.

Healthy Cheeses: Cheese in infused with probiotics, beneficial bacteria that aid digestion. Kraft LiveActive cheese sticks and cubes rolled out in the United States in September 2007, making it the first probiotic cheese in North America with national distribution.

Snacking Alternatives: More snacking choices, such as natural cheese snacks in single-serving packages as alternatives to chips and cookies.