On a per-capita basis, specialty cheese consumption has grown five times faster than total cheese consumption during the past ten years.
The study, "U.S. Cheese Consumption Trends, 1994-2003," analyzed production, consumption, and import data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ACNeilsen, Information Resources Inc., and proprietary sales data were also analyzed. The analysis was then fortified by interviews with numerous participants in the business - cheesemakers, distributors, brokers, retailers and end users.