Spanish cheeses, of which 150 different varieties are produced, live immersed in a paradox: on the one hand, according to data from the Tax Agency (AEAT) provided by the Interprofessional Dairy Organization (Inlac), in 2023 the historical maximum co exports in terms of volume with 117,419 tons. This is a discreet 0.58% more than the previous year, but 14.21% more in value after reaching 806.05 million euros in 2023. On the contrary, the import of cheeses mainly from the Netherlands (88,672 tons ) and Germany (79,407 tons) rose 10.66% year-on-year in 2023 to 361,723 tons. That is to say, our cheeses are increasingly known beyond our borders but at home they are losing market share. All this, despite the fact that consumption has stabilized after the rebound of the pandemic at 9 kg per person (in Europe it is 21 kg). Inlac has taken action on the matter and is promoting a promotional campaign presented in the context of ‘Alimentaria 2024’ being held this week in Barcelona, to ‘reconquer’ the Spanish market: ‘Quesea with cheeses from Spain’.
“We want Spanish consumers to know and value the more than 150 varieties of cheeses that are made in the 17 autonomous communities of Spain, which are precisely the hallmark of identity, diversity and excellence that characterizes our cheeses,” he explains to ‘La Informationación. ‘ the managing director of InLac Nuria María Arribas who recalls that the annual production of cheese in Spain already exceeds 450,000 tons. In this regard, she comments that ‘Quesea con quesos de España’ will focus on informing about the 27 Denominations of Origin (DOP) and the 4 Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) linked to this delicacy. Of course, without forgetting the contribution of all the actors in the sector. But how? The InLac representative points out that “soon” they will launch “actions with well-known faces, to spread the many health benefits of regular cheese consumption” and they will launch on social networks to reach Generation Z.
The importance of being on the shelves.
The representative of InLac attributes the paradox that ‘made in Spain’ cheeses gain space abroad while their market in Spain is reduced to two reasons: the space that distribution gives to cheeses of Spanish origin, “since import references do not stop increasing their presence and consumption remains at stable levels”, and to the “lack of information to the consumer”. At this point, he cites a study carried out by IPSOS at the initiative of Inlac in 2023, which indicates that 90% of those surveyed prefer to consume national cheeses and 74% do so in supermarkets. However, according to this same survey, 71% of Spanish consumers admit that they are unaware of the country’s cheese wealth apart from Manchegan, Asturian and Galician cheeses.
Spain is the sixth largest cow’s milk producing country in the European Union, behind countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands.
In this sense, Arribas defends that “we have great potential, since we are the sixth largest producer of cow’s milk in the European Union, only behind Germany, France, Holland, Italy and Ireland.” With a global production of more than 450,000 tons of cheese per year, of which 185,000 are cow’s milk cheeses and another 134,800 tons of blended cheeses. Spain, Arribas recalls, is also the second community country in sheep’s milk production with 69,900 tons of sheep’s cheese. Only surpassed by Greece. A plant medal that we also hold in the case of goat milk (51,700 tons of goat cheese), whose annual production only languishes behind that of France.
A key moment for the sector
For Interprofessional Láctea, the challenge lies in gaining weight in third countries like the United States. “A key destination in the unstoppable process of greater international recognition of national cheese.” In this regard, the situation in the dairy sector is complex since although in December 2023, production was 7,330.26 million kg with a number of farms that barely reached 10,023, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Before covid, in January 2019, the number of farms was 13,553 and milk production was lower, 7,226.67 million kg. The circumstance occurs, not common in previous years, that in February the average price of raw milk at origin in Spain (0.5 euros/liter) was higher than the average of the Twenty-seven (0.46 euros/liter ). It is worth remembering that between 2018 and 2020, according to a study of the milk value chain prepared by the Food Chain Observatory, the average price at which raw milk was sold at origin was 0.32-0.33 euros/ liter.
Nuria Mª Arribas, managing director of InLac and Daniel Ferreiro, president of InLac
“We are going through a time in which there are many uncertainties, challenges, threats and also opportunities,” admits the managing director of InLac who speaks of a traditional reduced profitability endangering the survival of cooperatives and companies. For this reason, he has opted for “sectoral structuring” and generational change in this activity. In his opinion, inlac as an interprofessional forum has an essential role.
