The data from USDA used in the infographic shows how big
U.S. cheese stockpile has gotten over the last few years. As of August 2022,
the U.S. had 1.5 billion pounds of cheese in cold storage across the country,
which is around a whopping $3.4 billion worth of cheese.
Before looking at how big is the American stockpile of
cheese, we will take a step back to first look into why America’s cheese
stockpile has gotten so big in the first place.
Why So Much Cheese?
Milk production in the United States has increased by 50%
over the last 30 years.
Although, the production of milk has increased, the
consumption of milk has decreased. According to the data of 2004, each American
consumed approximately 0.57 cups of milk per day. By 2018, average milk
consumption had dropped to 0.33 cups approximately.
As a response to this problem, the method that the dairy
companies and the American government found to fix it was that they purchased
the excess milk and stored it as cheese for years.
The question arises that where does this big amount of
cheese gets stored. A good-sized portion of the stockpile is stored in a
massive underground warehouse (a former limestone quarry) outside of Springfield,
Missouri.
The Cheese Stockpile Keeps Growing
Apart from a small dip in 2021 during the global pandemic,
America’s stockpile of cheese has increased steadily over the last five years:
|
Date |
Total cheese in cold storage
(billion pounds) |
Y-o-y change (%) |
|
April 2018 |
1.35 |
3.8% |
|
April 2019 |
1.40 |
3.7% |
|
April 2020 |
1.48 |
5.7% |
|
April 2021 |
1.45 |
-2.0% |
|
April 2022 |
1.48 |
2.1% |
Between April 2018 and April 2022, U.S. cheese holdings
increased by 130 million pounds to reach 1.48 billion pounds. After climbing up
to 1.52 billion pounds in July, the stockpile settled once again at 1.48
billion pounds at the end of August 2022.
It is amazing to know that now the U.S. cheese stockpile
weighs more than the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Tower of Pisa, and the
Great Sphinx of Giza—combined.
U.S. Monthly Price Averages (Wisconsin 2022):
U.S. cheese prices use cheddar as a base, in either 40-pound blocks or 500-pound barrels, but individual cheeses trade differently.
|
Type of Cheese |
Price per Pound |
|
Processed American |
$2.52 |
|
Cheddar |
$2.52 |
|
Monetery Jack |
$2.68 |
|
Brick |
$2.81 |
|
Mozzarella |
$2.87 |
|
Swiss |
$3.30 |
|
Blue |
$3.40 |
Is the Cheese Stockpile Here to Stay?
Many attempts have been made using different techniques to
get rid of the cheese stockpile. The government has established federal food
welfare programs and also has been encouraging milk consumption in schools
throughout the country.
Yet, despite their best efforts to reduce the excess,
America’s cheese stockpile continues to grow.
As local consumers continue to reduce their milk
consumption, and shift their focus from dairy milk to milk alternatives like
almond or oat milk, how much bigger will this cheese stockpile get before the
government comes up with an alternative solution to deal with its excess of
dairy?
Infographic by: visualcapitalist
