A report published on 25 March 2022, showed average annual cheese consumption in Switzerland hit 23.17 kilos per person in 2021, up from 23.07 kilos in 2020 (+0.4%).
Residents of Switzerland consumed a total of 203,896 tonnes of cheese in 2021, a year-on-year rise of 1,089 tonnes (+0.5%). The most popular cheeses were fondu and raclette, Switzerland’s famous duo of cheese dishes. These two dishes together accounted for around a quarter of total cheese consumed in Switzerland in 2021.
Over the years, there has been a trend towards semi-hard cheese such as Tête de Moine AOP, Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP and raclette cheeses. Consumption of cheese made from buffalo milk has also increased and led to a 35 grams per capita an increase in the consumption of specialty cheeses.
Overall, 63% of the cheese consumed in Switzerland in 2021 was produced in Switzerland. In 2020, the same percentage was 64.9%.
Consumption of domestic cheeses was highest for cream cheeses – fromage frais, serre (57.4%), semi-soft cheeses (75.6%) and hard cheeses (79.4%). Soft cheeses (28.4%) and extra hard cheeses (21.6%) were mainly imported.
The biggest fall in the domestic share of cheese consumed in Switzerland was for cream cheeses like fromage frais and serre (-4.3%). In 2021, 42.6% of such cheeses consumed in Switzerland was imported, up from 38.3% in 2020.
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