Cheese Market Data, Standards and Trade Specifications

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-10Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Producing countries tracked

11

Grading systems

3

Active supply risks

5

Trade corridors

5

Latest reviewed evidence

The production and export figures below are USDA Foreign Agricultural Service forecasts published in July 2026. The Codex and USDA records define general cheese, variety and grade boundaries. These dated forecasts and standards are not current lot availability, a current physical offer or a live delivered cheese price.

Major-exporter cheese exports

3.046

million metric tons · calendar year 2026 forecast

European Union cheese production

11.1

million metric tons · calendar year 2026 forecast

United States cheese exports

751000

metric tons · calendar year 2026 forecast

New Zealand cheese production

450000

metric tons · calendar year 2026 forecast

Cheddar maximum moisture

39

percent by weight · current United States cheddar identity cited by USDA AMS

Cheddar minimum milkfat in dry matter

50

percent · current United States cheddar identity cited by USDA AMS

Named variety, milk source, ripening and product form define the cheese

Codex defines cheese broadly across ripened and unripened soft, semi-hard, hard and extra-hard products made by concentrating milk protein through coagulation and whey drainage or equivalent processing. That general identity does not make varieties interchangeable. Milk species and treatment, starter and coagulation process, moisture and fat-in-dry-matter class, ripening and age, rind or coating, smoke or flavor additions, whole block, sliced, shredded, grated, powdered or processed form and intended use must remain explicit. Atlas preserves the named variety and product stage before comparing production, price or trade evidence.

Composition, grade, age, plant, lot and cold chain travel with the cheese

USDA's cheddar standard illustrates why a generic cheese observation is insufficient: cheddar has a specific cow's-milk identity, no more than 39 percent moisture and at least 50 percent milkfat in the water-free substance, while Grades AA, A, B and C evaluate flavor, body and texture, color, finish and appearance across curing stages. Other cheeses use different standards. Comparable records retain the governing variety standard, composition and test methods, grade and authority, age, rind, plant and lot, production and best-before dates, package and net weight, storage temperature, health and export certificates and origin-destination eligibility.

Forecast totals do not determine a delivered cheese price

USDA FAS's July 2026 forecast places combined exports by the listed major exporters at 3.046 million metric tons, European Union cheese production at 11.1 million metric tons, United States exports at 751,000 metric tons and New Zealand production at 450,000 metric tons. Those dated aggregates span varieties, milk sources, compositions, grades, ages, plants, packages and contract terms. A delivered price still requires a precisely defined lot, permitted current physical evidence, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and information vintage.

Questions procurement teams ask

Is cheese one interchangeable trade product?

No. Named varieties and product forms differ by milk source, composition, processing, ripening, age, rind, grade, package, storage and end use. Evidence for one variety or form cannot stand in for another without an explicit mapping.

Are natural cheese, processed cheese and cheese preparations the same?

No. Natural cheese is produced through milk-protein coagulation and whey drainage or an equivalent process. Processed cheese and preparations combine or further process cheese and other permitted ingredients under separate identity and composition rules.

What do the 3.046 million metric tons represent?

They are USDA FAS's July 2026 forecast of calendar-year 2026 cheese exports by the listed major exporters. The figure is a dated aggregate, not a current physical offer or delivered price.

Which fields make physical cheese offers comparable?

Named variety and standard, milk species and treatment, ripened or unripened state, texture and composition class, moisture and fat basis and test method, culture or process, grade and authority, age, rind or coating, block, slice, shred or other form, plant and lot, production and best-before dates, package and net weight, temperature regime, health and export certificates, origin, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.