What is the connection between cheddar cheese and Canada?

Despite the fact that the 'cheddar' cheese originates in the English region of Somerset, the cheese and Canada are also inextricably linked. One third of Canadian cheese exports consist of cheddar. In 2019, the country exported almost 3,7 million kilos of the cheese, more than 1,1 million kilos more than the year before.

Cheddar is primarily known as the melted orange cheese on top of the stereotypical American cheeseburger. Yet cheddar is so much more than that. All the more so because the type of cheese does not come from the United States at all, but from Great Britain. In addition to these 2 countries, there is another country that is inextricably linked to this type of cheese: Canada.

Export
Canada may not be the first country that comes to mind when it comes to cheese exports. Nevertheless, the country is doing well, especially in cheddar exports. In 2019, Canada exported more than 10,7 million kilograms of cheese with a value of almost $76,8 million. A third of the total cheeses exported consisted of cheddar

Worldwide, cheddar is the most bought and consumed type of cheese. Exports from Canada are expected to increase. In 2019, exports increased by more than 1,1 million kilos compared to 2018, bringing the total to more than 3,6 million kilos with a value of just under $19,7 million. Together with an increase of 1 million kilos of specialty cheeses over 2019, this resulted in an overall increase in cheese exports of almost 1,5 million kilos compared to 2018. Despite the fact that Canada exports a lot of cheddar, it is not the most popular cheese among the cheeses. Canadian population.

History
The connection that has arisen between the land and the cheese has a history that goes way back in time. Cheddar cheese has been used since the 12^e century and comes from the English village of Cheddar in the Somerset region. The cheese is now produced in several countries, of which Canada is one of the most important. The Canadian is from the mid-19^e century. Around this time, a gall midge infestation broke out in Canada, causing many Ontario farmers to switch from wheat farming to dairy farming.

Cheddar was made with the large amount of milk that resulted. This cheddar was sold on the world market and it didn't take long before the cheese became Canada's most important export product. Start 20^th century, there were 1242 cheddar factories in the province of Ontario alone. In this period, the cheese was not only large as an export product, domestic consumption was also large.

Canadian cheddar also played an important role during the Second World War. Canada, along with Australia and New Zealand, was the main food supplier to Great Britain. By 1945, more than 325 million pounds of cheddar had been shipped across the Atlantic to British soil.

Sales fell away
Huge British cheese demand changed the Canadian dairy industry. Due to the increase in milk volume, the production of cheese and other dairy products also increased sharply. While many expected that this supply-demand relationship would continue after the war, nothing could be further from the truth.

After the war, a large part of the demand for Canadian dairy (products) disappeared, leaving the dairy farmers with enormous surpluses of milk. This caused milk prices to drop sharply. The government made several attempts to restore dairy farming, ultimately costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Finally, from 1965 Canadian milk production was reduced by means of a quota. In this way the surplus of milk was remedied, so that the milk price managed to pick up again. Despite the decline in milk production, Canada continued to produce cheddar. Canadian cheese consumption has changed, however. Canadian cheese consumption, except for cheddar, has nearly tripled since 1980. Cheddar's consumption has remained relatively flat.

Canadian cheddar
The English variant may have traditionally been the 'real' cheddar cheese, yet Canadian cheddar is considered one of the best cheddar cheeses in the world. The cheese is mainly produced in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The texture of the Canadian variant differs somewhat from the English one: it is softer and creamier. The cheese is mainly made from cow's milk, but Canadian cheese also has variants of sheep or goat's milk. The cheese matures for at least 3 months, but is often given longer, sometimes up to 10 years.

Jorine Cosse

Editor at Boerenbusiness who studies the dairy, pig (meat) and feed markets. Jorine analyzes the roughage market on a weekly basis and periodically the compound feed market.

j.cosse@boerenbusiness. Nl

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