News: Dutch "low cost" cheese threatens Spanish cheese production

Almost half of all cheese that is eaten in Spain comes from countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

The low prices of this foreign cheese ensure that the Spanish producers can no longer compete and the imported cheese has been labeled as "low cost".

The imported cheese from the Netherlands and various other countries sold in Spanish stores is much cheaper than the cheese produced in Spain. This article mentions in particular the Dutch cheeses of Gouda and Edam that can be found in blocks, pieces and cut.

This not only concerns the consumers who buy the cheese directly in supermarkets and other shops, but also in the catering industry more and more foreign cheese is used because it is cheaper than the Spanish cheese and can thus be saved at the expense of preparing meals.

According to the newspaper El Confidencial, the largest importer of cheeses is France with 64,807 tons of cheese in 2015. The second is Germany on the list of 66,030 tons of cheese followed by the Netherlands with 48,261 tons in 2015.

45% of all cheese that was eaten in Spain in 2017 came from abroad, compared to 35% in 2015. The cheese that comes from countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Denmark is also called "commodity" cheese, or "la leche que viaje" the milk that travels in the form of European cheese.

According to the spokesperson for Spanish cheese producers, cheese is used in countries such as the Netherlands to produce and export "low cost" cheese because this cheese is not consumed in its own country. The import of cheese from Italy rose the most with + 39% followed by cheese from the Netherlands with + 17% and Germany with + 9%.

In 2017, more than 288,450 tons of cheese were imported into Spain, an increase of + 17% compared to 2014. The average price per kilo of cheese was 7.34 euro, which is -2% less than in 2015.

Despite the fact that more foreign cheese was imported in Spain, -4.4% less cheese was consumed by the Spaniards with 7.66 kg average per person.