With more than two-thirds of households purchasing flavored cheese and over 283 million pounds sold in 2016 alone, there is no denying that this category is generating a lot of interest. In fact, nearly 300 new flavored cheese products were added to the market last year, flaunting flavors such as jalapeño, smoked, herb, pimento, taco, berry, alcohol, bacon, citrus and coffee.
Natural cheese sales have been steady for subcategories such as slices and shreds, but others (crumbles, chunks) are struggling. Meanwhile, cheese spreads/balls saw a sales boost in the processed cheese category.