Cheese
Australia produced 338,600 tonnes of cheese in 2010/11 — a 3% decrease on the previous year. Production volumes are significantly less than earlier in the decade as the availability of milk trended downward since that time. The product mix continues to steadily change; with non-cheddar cheese varieties consistently increasing share of total production in Australia. In the latest season, production of cheddar cheeses fell for the fourth year out of the last five; with very strong growth in fresh cheeses offsetting a fall in semi hard cheeses from an unusually high figure in the previous year.
There has been a long term trend in production away from cheddar cheeses and toward non-cheddar cheese types. The non-cheddar share of total production volumes has steadily increased from 30% three decades ago, to 45% a decade ago, to around 55% in recent years.
Australian cheese production by type of cheese (tonnes)
| |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
2009/10 (r) |
2010/11 (p) |
| Cheddar |
191,694 |
179,159 |
171,260 |
178,360 |
164,218 |
154,718 |
| Semi Hard |
76,813 |
75,529 |
73,854 |
61,659 |
82,494 |
68,176 |
| Hard Grating |
23,022 |
18,477 |
16,908 |
17,924 |
12,215 |
13,590 |
| Fresh |
75,441 |
84,443 |
90,934 |
75,435 |
81,709 |
95,431 |
| Mould |
5,847 |
6,030 |
7,966 |
8,915 |
8,663 |
6,665 |
| Total Cheese |
372,816 |
363,638 |
360,922 |
342,293 |
349,298 |
338,580 |
Source: Dairy manufacturers
It is estimated that around 55% of the domestic sales of Australian cheese are through supermarkets. A significant proportion—mostly specialty cheeses—are sold through the smaller independent retail trade, with the remainder used in the foodservice sector and in food processing applications.
Cheese is a major product for the Australian dairy industry; with sales of around 213,000 tonnes within Australia, valued at an estimated A$1.6 billion, and export sales of 163,000 tonnes, worth A$731 million in 2010/11.
See Domestic Sales Summary for more details on supermarket sales of cheese