A new study by Swissmilk has found that residents of Switzerland ate a record amount of cheese in 2021. The average person in the alpine nation now eats more than 23 kilograms of cheese a year.
In 2021, 203.896 tonnes of cheese were consumed in Switzerland - the equivalent of almost 51.000 Asian elephants. This is a total of 1.089 tonnes more than the year before, or 100 grams more per person.
The most popular fromages were semi-hard cheeses and cheeses from the Swiss mountains like standard raclette cheese, Tête de Moine AOP, Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP and Raclette du Valais AOP. Specialist cheeses, like buffalo milk cheese, also saw a huge rise in popularity over the last year.
The results from 2021 build on another record-breaking year from 2020, which begs the question as to whether COVID lockdown policies and cheese consumption are related in some way.
Despite the country being famous for its cheese, the study found that 42,6 percent of fresh cheese eaten in Switzerland is actually imported by international companies from overseas. Swismilk said that COVID lockdowns and subsequent certificate requirements for restaurants led to a decline in the consumption of local cheeses.