The French and cheese

France, country of cheese : usurped or deserved reputation? If rumors are to be believed, the French are the biggest cheese consumers in the world…

How much cheese do we eat in France?

It is recommended to be limited to 30 g to 40 g of cheese per day ! A (small) portion that allows you to take advantage of the nutritional advantages of cheese – in particular its high calcium content -, without suffering the harmful consequences such as weight gain, increased bad cholesterol… Hard to stick to ? Nothing to feel guilty regarding: according to figures from the French dairy industry¹the French consume 26.2 kg of cheese per yearor nearly 72 g per day … which is twice the recommendations issued by health authorities.

In which country do people eat the most cheese?

Are the French the biggest consumers of cheese in the world? If we believe the figures, this reputation would be unfounded! Indeed, if the French were indeed the biggest cheese consumers in the world in 2013, with an average of 25.9 kg of cheese per French person each year, the figures have changed. The country where we eat the most cheese? THE Denmark ! Danes consume an average of 28.1 kg of cheese / year / inhabitant² ! Follow Isalende (27.7), Finland (27.3) … while France ranks (only) in 4^e position ! Following in the top 10 are Cyprus (26.7), Germany (24.7), Switzerland (22.2), the Netherlands (21.6), Italy (21.5 ) and Austria (21.1).

On the other hand, France remains the country with the largest number of PDO labeled cheeses – i.e. 46 cheeses – ahead of Italy by a short head…

What are the favorite cheeses of the French?

Even if several factors can justify that we buy more one cheese than another, we can have an idea of ​​the favorites of the French by looking at those that we consume – and buy – the most in France! Top 5?

An Italian cheese acclaimed in France? “For the first time in France, the Camembert sales curve, which has been steadily declining by 3% per year, has fallen below that of mozzarella sales, which is experiencing annual growth of 5%”, confirms to Figaro, Fabrice Collier, president of the Norman Syndicate of Camembert Manufacturers (SNFC). In five years, the camembert has seen its popularity decline by 18.3%.

In 2020, raclette, refined goat cheese sticks and Comté were also present in this ranking.

What are the best French cheeses?

The site TasteAtlas³ unveiled its top 100 of the best cheeses in the world. The problem? According to this ranking, the best French cheese would be Reblochon … and – above all – it only comes in 13^e position ! Reblochon thus arrives just ahead of Comté – ranked 14^e – then Beaufort, Neufchâtel and Saint-Félicien – respectively 31^e33^e et 34^e of the ranking – or Brillat-Savarin (50^e)! In this ranking, 3 Italian cheeses dominate the podium: parmesan, Gorgonzola and burrata. Should we specify that we are not frankly in agreement with this classification? In any case, it should be noted that this ranking was made using the votes of Internet users, solicited by TasteAtlas.

In which countries are French cheeses consumed?

Just refer to the data provided by the Cniel¹ to find out which are the most popular French cheeses internationally. On your mind ? Bries which represent 11.3% of exports! Followed by camembert (3.7%), Saint-Nectaire (3.6%), cheddar and similar (1.7%) and Roquefort (0.5% of exports)!

The biggest French cheese lovers ? Europeans … representing 82% of exports (According to the CNIEL)! With the Germans in mind, who consume 19% of the cheeses exported by France and they are particularly fond of our goat cheeses since these represent 20% of the cheeses purchased in Germany. French cheeses are also exported to the United Kingdom (13% of French cheeses exported), Belgium (11%) and Spain (10%). As for the American and Japanese markets, they represent only 3.7% and 1.8% of French exports!

1. The French dairy industry.

2. According to figures from the United States Department of Agriculture and the International Dairy Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

3. “10 Most Popular cheeses in the World”, TasteAtlas.

4. Consumption of dairy products in 2020FranceAgriMer.

Read also:

• Advantages, calories, health benefits: all regarding Mont d’Or cheese

• Cholesterol: cheeses to avoid