The cheese market and cheese dairies - Italy

1.1 Definition and presentation

Cheese is a product derived from milk (whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed) following to acid or presamic or enzymatic coagulation of caseinogen. The milk used to produce cheese is obtained from animals raised within dairy farms.

The cheese market in Italy can be segmented into two major categories:

• Natural cheese made from fresh, natural, high-quality ingredients;
• Processed cheese, this product is made from natural cheese to which emulsifiers (two insoluble liquids), sodium citrate, calcium phosphate, sorbic acid (preservative), enzymes, vitamin D3, milk fat, extra salt, saturated vegetable oils, whey and artificial food coloring are added.

Globally, the cheese market was valued at $72 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow to $106 billion in 2026.

Italy is the leader in the fresh cheese export market in the world. In 2020, the value of exports far exceeded the value of imports.

Italian cheese is so appreciated abroad because it is part of the Mediterranean diet and is a valid witness to the benefits of this diet. Moreover, despite all the problems created by the recent pandemic, the volume of Italian cheese exports increased by a solid 3 %. 

The domestic market has also shown growth. In particular, cheese was estimated to be the food product Italians spent the most on in 2020.

Italy is also the leading producer of PDO cheeses, with 52 cheeses recognized with protected designations of origin.

As we can see from the above information, the cheese and dairy market is definitely growing. Italians have proven to be great consumers of these products so much so that cheeses were second in the ranking of food products with the highest sales volume, second only to eggs. The main trend in sales is the purchase of packaged cheeses by fixed weight as they are considered convenient byconsumers.