Did You Know…Cheese

 by Nathaniel Gingell




In 2022, people in the European Union ate on average 20.96 kg of cheese per capita? In the USA it was 17.8kg per capita and 14.85kg per capita in Canada. It is thought that the people of France eat more cheese per capita than anywhere else in the world.  

The EU also produced the most amount of cheese in 2022 - 10.55 million metric tons.

By some estimates there are more than 1,800 different types of cheese in the world, with a growing market in vegan cheese.

Each country that produces cheese has its own particularly cheesy speciality. We have cheddar, which was once matured in caves and sold to tourists visiting the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. It is naturally white or cream in colour and dyed to be more orange. In 1840 a giant cheddar cheese wheel was presented to Queen Victoria as a wedding present. It weighed over 453kg.

The cheese slice used in a  Big Mac contains approximately 60% real cheese (51% Cheddar and 9% Other Cheeses). Who knows what the other 40% is?!

Germany produces a cheese called Limburger. It is fermented using Brevibacterium, which is partly responsible for human body odour. So next time you think cheese smells like feet…you are scientifically correct!


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