The COVID-19 Pandemic Brings Blessings To The Cheese Business In France

Cheese illustration. (Wikimedia Commons / Darren Coleshill)

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 pandemic, which has been ongoing since last year, has forced many people to switch from activities outside of their homes to doing everything from home.

Including the matter of food. The restrictions that make it a habit to eat in restaurants are now shifting to a variety of processed foods at home. As in France which is famous for its culinary delights.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the French enjoyed more meals at home. The thing that brought cheese to the fore. Yes, cheese was a rising food ingredient in France during the pandemic.

In the early days, people preferred flour and pasta, then adjusted to eating habits at home. Extra products such as cheese and butter also experience a surge in demand.

The amount of cheese purchased by French buyers for home consumption increased by more than 8 percent in 2020, compared with just 2 percent the previous year, according to figures from agricultural agency France AgriMer and market data firm Kantar.

In France, mozzarella saw the sharpest increase in demand among the major cheese categories, with a 21 percent increase in volume. That was followed by a 12 percent increase for raclette, a winter favorite eaten melted with potatoes and cured meats.

Cheese illustration. (Wikimedia Commons / Jesús Gorriti)

Along with strong supermarket sales of cheese ingredients for cooking, specialty stores such as Augustin Denous in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris cite high demand from consumers who are experiencing a lockdown to get creative to make meals at home.

"In our small ways, we have helped prevent people from becoming completely gloomy during the pandemic. There are good times at the dinner table with good wine, good bread, and a good cheese", he said.

"It's one of those pleasures that's still accessible", one of Denous's customers, Nicolas.

"Eating at home, however, may at best only cover lost demand in the large French restaurant and tourism sector as closure measures continue into 2021, the dairy industry agency, CNIEL said.

Cheese fetches a better price than products such as champagne or fish that are more dependent on restaurants and trading events. Cheese lovers also saw an opportunity to protect the famous French artisanal cheese range.

"There is real enthusiasm about agriculture and we need to make sure that is reflected in the arrival of new, younger producers", said Veronique Richez-Lerouge, president of a local French cheese association and founder of Annual Cheese Day.