What happened to the price of Cheese?

[Junkman]

Have you noticed the price of cheese lately? Almost $5.00 a pound in our
area for most kinds. It used to be fairly cheap and was even given out as commodities to the needy? My last box of Velveeta was $4.00 for a 2# box and that was the cheapest cheese I could find.

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by Junkman

Have you noticed the price of cheese lately? Almost $5.00 a pound in our
area for most kinds. It used to be fairly cheap and was even given out as commodities to the needy? My last box of Velveeta was $4.00 for a 2# box and that was the cheapest cheese I could find.

And it ain't cheese... don't get me wrong, it has it's purposes, but velveeta definitely isn't cheese.

Seriously though, around here I can still get cheese for around 3 - 4 a lb.

[roughingit]

I agree with Zeal, Velveeta isn't cheese. last time I read one of the labels they called "pasterized, processed American cheese food" because they aren't allowed to call the crud cheese. Read the ingredients sometime, scary!

I can still get "real" cheese from my friendly neighbourhood Grocery Outlet for 1-3 dollars a pound. They even have fancy stuff like havarti, fontina, chevre, etc for cheap alongside the cheddar. Try looking out for your nearest discount grocer, you might get a pleasant surprise

Safeway and like seem to be going up for everything!

[Quint]

Also see if you can find a place that sells bulk. If you can buy a 5 or 10 pound block and shred it or slice it yourself you're going to save over buying it pre sliced or shredded. Sometimes your local butcher shop sometimes has good cheeses at decent prices.

[gilberte]

Originally Posted by Junkman

Have you noticed the price of cheese lately? Almost $5.00 a pound in our
area for most kinds. It used to be fairly cheap and was even given out as commodities to the needy? My last box of Velveeta was $4.00 for a 2# box and that was the cheapest cheese I could find.

1. Rampant speculation on cheese futures.
2. Increase in demand in China and India.
3. Insufficient number of cheese refineries to keep up with demand. Plenty
of cows though.
4 Last years natural disasters.

Buy a couple goats and make your own

[turtlehead]

Originally Posted by roughingit

Read the ingredients sometime, scary!

Ingredients: MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, WHEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ALGINATE, SODIUM CITRATE, APOCAROTENAL (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE.


Velveeta

To the OP: I haven't bought cheese recently, not sure of the prices around here. I expect the price of all foodstuffs is going to increase, with fuel prices high like they are. We'll probably see it in foods that expire quickly (produce, dairy) before we see it in other foods that can be warehoused.

[dcross]

Velveeta is actually cheese, it's just a blend of all the odds and ends, not like a lot of the process cheezes.

Dairy production is up, and the price of milk and cheese is down on the bulk market. I think if you shop around, you might find some deals.

[Clifford]

The price of most grocery items have gone up due to increased fuel prices.

Here in Wausau, WI a loaf of bread went from .84 to $1.04. The cost of transporting the product isn't free, so they pass it along to the consumer.

[Lynne]

It's over $6 a pound here for sliced american from the deli.

[beorning]

I still can find mild cheddar here on sale for 1.99 a pound. But, I am in wisconsin...

[roughingit]

Originally Posted by turtlehead

Ingredients: MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, WHEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ALGINATE, SODIUM CITRATE, APOCAROTENAL (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE.


Velveeta

To the OP: I haven't bought cheese recently, not sure of the prices around here. I expect the price of all foodstuffs is going to increase, with fuel prices high like they are. We'll probably see it in foods that expire quickly (produce, dairy) before we see it in other foods that can be warehoused.

And my cheddar: milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto

Nice to see that Velveeta is still "cheese" but I still wouldn't eat it! The real stuff is cheaper, tastes better and doesn't have fillers. Plus all the fake stuff wreaks havok with my digestive tract, ew!

We get Wisconsin cheese for the same price here in Oregon and if you shop wisely, you can get Oregonian cheese for the same price, Californian cheese tends to be more expensive. Heck my havarti is Danish and it was still $2 a pound at the canned foods store. I think it's about where you shop, as mentioned before, the big chains are getting more expensive around here. They figured out most people are either too lazy, time-squeezed or haughty to shop elsewhere. The small neighbourhood markets have good meat and cheese prices too, though they are higher than a kite for anything else. Good local beef. Mmmm...

[junkertyge]

As reported in LANCASTER FARMING in WEEKLY DAIRY MARKET OUTLOOK: Cash prices at the CHICAGO MERCANTILE EXCHANGE, $1.1610 per pound for block and $1.1325 per pound for barrels. Butter $1.1880/lb for Grade AA. This is for week ended April 28,2006.