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.

Sales indicate that consumers continue to prefer natural over processed cheese, with slices, shreds and cubes sales getting a boost. In the processed cheese category, cheese spreads/balls was the only segment with positive sales numbers.

As we wrote about in our State of the Industry report last month, consumers love their cheese and are eating more of it, but prefer all-natural varieties.

Consumers’ preference for natural over processed shows in cheese sales. While natural cheese sales remained positive, processed cheese continues to see declines. Consumers are opting for natural slices, sticks and shredded cheese.

Dollar and unit sales for most natural cheese segments are up, while processed cheeses are still not the first choice for many consumers.

Unit sales are up slightly for the natural cheese category, but sales of processed cheese continue to decline.

Shredded cheese sales are up in both natural and processed cheese categories. Chunks and sliced cheese sales also increase in the natural category.

As the processed cheese category continues to struggle and with natural cheese still winning with consumers, we ask: Are fancy cheeses the next big thing?