Concerns and Problems of Storing and Marketing Manufactured Cheese

Abstract

The major concern in marketing and storage of cheese centers around the government price support program, which has resulted in a large surplus of cheese in government inventory. For effective marketing the supply and demand of cheese needs to get back into balance, and this cannot happen until the problem of milk surplus is solved. Traditionally, cheese factories marketed their cheese by direct sale to dealers, assemblers, and processors. With consolidation of several smaller plants into large centralized plants, there is a trend toward direct sale of cheese to warehouses of end users, such as cheese processors. The National Cheese Exchange plays a significant role in marketing of manufactured cheese. Trading is by members who have extra cheese stocks on hand or who have a need for cheese. Cheese storage facilities should be selected carefully to minimize storage costs and to be in compliance with all government regulations. As cheese is held in storage, there is the risk of deterioration of quality. Temperature and humidity must be controlled carefully. Adequacy of packaging material and container is important. Cheese should be manufactured to prevent decrease in grade during storage. © 1984, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.