The U.S. Has More Cheese Than It Knows What to Do With

And most of it is American

America currently has a massive cheese surplus, thanks to cheap prices for European dairy and record U.S. dairy production. Bloomberg reports the U.S. is currently sitting on its largest stockpile of cheese in more than 30 years. The country is currently the number one importer of certain European dairy products and according to the European Commission, U.S. imports of European cheeses rose 17 percent last year.

Sounds like it's time for every man, woman, and child to up their grilled cheese consumption, because "More than half of the supply is American cheese." (Two percent is Swiss cheese, while the rest falls under the vague umbrella of "other.")

Interestingly, European cheese exports have risen despite losing one of its biggest customers. Russia banned imports of Western cheeses and other foods last year in retaliation for economic sanctions. Though some have found ways to illegally import Western items, the Russian government cracked down and began destroying the foods, especially cheese.

So what sorts of repercussions can we expect due to this influx of cheese? More fancy cheese thefts, perhaps. Possibly more listeria outbreaks. And certainly more trendy, cheese-filled items hitting menus everywhere.

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