EU27 cheese market

The EU27 is the largest cheese market in the database. Zenith puts EU cheese consumption at more than 9.5 million tonnes in 2025, or around 21 kg per person.

Zenith expects consumption to grow by around 1% a year to 2030, passing 10 million tonnes.

The EU27 is also the largest cheese exporter in the database, exporting more than 1.4 million tonnes in 2025, and imports are small. Its range runs from gouda, edam and emmental to mozzarella and fresh cheeses, and protected origin cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano and feta carry a premium worldwide.

The Zenith Global Cheese Database 2026 covers the EU27 with production, imports, exports and consumption for 39 cheese types, actuals from 2020 to 2025 and forecasts to 2030. Volume data covers totals, broad categories and separately measured cheese types, in tonnes. Consumer retail value covers total cheese only, in local currency and USD; import and export trade values cover HS 0406 total only, in USD. Monetary values are not broken down by individual cheese type or broad category. Retail shelf prices cover total cheese and five broad categories: hard and semi-hard, fresh, mould, processed, and other non-specified cheese, in local currency/kg and USD/kg, not individual prices for all 39 cheese types. Import and export unit prices cover HS 0406 total and available HS subheadings, in USD/kg. Retail value is estimated retail volume multiplied by regular shelf prices, including sales tax. Trade values are customs values, using CIF for imports and FOB for exports. Production is measured as formally manufactured cheese.