Emma Bedford
Senior Team Lead Food & Agriculture
Cheese market in the UK - statistics & facts
Home to well-known varieties such as cheddar and stilton, the UK cheese market has a strong footing in the global market. After whiskey, milk, and chocolate, cheese is the fourth most exported food and drink product from the UK in terms of value. On average, people in the UK eat around 11.5 kilograms of cheese annually. Their European neighbors top the consumption ranking with over 20 kilograms per person.
Despite price increases and an expanding market for alternatives, the revenue of the cheese market in the UK is set for positive growth in the coming years and is on track to reach over seven billion British pounds by 2029.
Cheddar reigns supreme
The volume of cheese produced in the UK has continually increased in recent years, reaching a new high in 2022 that was sustained in 2023. Cheddar cheese made up the lion’s share of all cheese made in the UK in 2023 at just over 70 percent. This clearly highlights the popularity of this variety, which originates from the Somerset town of Cheddar. Consumption data also heavily points towards cheddar being the top cheese choice in the UK. Cathedral City, the brand well-known for its cheddar varieties, was the most-consumed cheese brand sold in blocks or grated among survey respondents in Great Britain in 2023, easily beating private-label varieties from the supermarket giant Tesco.Ireland is the leading destination for UK cheese
In 2023, Germany was the world's largest exporter of cheese, having exported a 15.3 percent share of all global cheese exports based on value. In comparison, the UK exported 2.4 percent of the world's exports in the same year. Ireland was, by far, the leading EU destination for cheese and curd exports from the UK as of June 2024. The Netherlands and France trailed behind in second and third place.Cheese prices are up in all categories
The impact of food price inflation has been felt in consumers' wallets and in their choice of what kind of items they put in their shopping carts. Cheese is no exception to this trend; all types of cheese experienced a price increase in 2024 in the UK. Snacking cheese was hit the hardest, with double-digit price growth. Processed, stilton, and British blue cheeses ranked second and third. Cheddar, the consumer favorite, came off lightly compared to other segments, with a 2.5 percent price increase in the past year. Plant-based cheeses, a relatively new trend in the market, experienced the lowest price growth.Despite price increases and an expanding market for alternatives, the revenue of the cheese market in the UK is set for positive growth in the coming years and is on track to reach over seven billion British pounds by 2029.
