By French households feasted on cheese last year as they turned to home cooking and sought gastronomic comfort during coronavirus lockdowns that shuttered the restaurant trade.
The amount of cheese purchased by French shoppers for at-home consumption increased by more than 8% in 2020, compared with just 2% the previous year, according to figures from farming agency FranceAgriMer and market data firm Kantar.
That was part of a shift in food consumption in many countries last year as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded, with households initially bulk buying staples like pasta and flour, and later settling into home-eating habits with extra purchases of products like butter.
In France, mozzarella saw the steepest rise in demand among major cheese categories, with a 21% volume jump, followed by a 12% increase for raclette – a winter favourite eaten melted with potatoes and cured meats.
Along with strong supermarket sales of ingredient cheeses for cooking, specialist shops like Augustin Denous’ in Boulogne-Billancourt just outside Paris have reported more trade from locked-down households looking for a culinary treat.
