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UK Cheese Market Report 2026

UK Cheese Market Report 2026

"Cheddar’s heavy reliance on older users poses a threat. Interest in bolder flavours and appetite for inspiration on social media offer scope to engage the young."

Sam Fryers, Research Analyst

Market Intelligence Reports Cheese UK

UK Cheese Industry – Trends and Insights

Cheese value sales strengthened in 2025. The price rises fuelling this saw volume gains soften as households continued to scrutinise budgets.
Cheese continues to benefit from its status as a versatile staple, while the strong performance of snack brands exemplifies how added value products remain resilient where their benefits are clear.
Lower usage of cheddar among under-45s poses a threat to this dominant segment’s long-term outlook. It reflects their adventurous eating habits more broadly and highlights the need for formats and flavours that cater to their love of novelty and their key ways of using cheese, such as in hot meals.
Cheese has a permission to challenge stalwart snacks on the key aspect of exciting flavour, 52% of adults and 69% of under-35s drawn to such cheese variants. This points to an untapped opportunity, given the dearth of such products currently.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

Performance of the cheese market amid the income squeeze and up to 2030
The competitive landscape, including 2024/25 star performers
Key trends in launch activity and future product development opportunities
Usage of different types of cheese products
Factors most important to buyers when choosing cheese to consume as an ingredient, and as a snack
Factors that encourage consumers to try new cheeses, and the appeal of flavoured cheese

Consumer Research Methodology

Mintel commissioned consumer research for this Report to assess the usage of cheese and related behaviours and attitudes. Research was carried out by Kantar Profiles among 2,000 internet users aged 16+ in September 2025.

Consumer Research Questions

How often do you typically eat/use cheese?
Which of these types of cheese have you bought in the last three months? t all that apply
In which of the following ways have you eaten/used cheese in the last three months?
Which of the following attributes do you look for when choosing cheese to eat/use… …as an ingredient (eg in a meal, in baking)? …with crackers / as a snack on its own for yourself?
Do the following statements apply to you? Promotions (eg discounts, bundles) make me more likely to try a new type of cheese / I am more likely to try a new cheese sold alongside suggested accompaniments (eg crackers, chutney) / A recommendation from a friend encouraged me to purchase a cheese I haven’t tried before / Lack of money stops me buying sustainable cheese as much as I’d like to / I have tried cheese with spice flavours (eg jalapeño, chipotle) in the last three months / The salt content leads me to limit the amount of cheese I eat
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Cheese is a good source of protein / A good selection of cheeses from independent producers would make a supermarket appealing / Cheese with exciting flavours (eg sweet chilli, chorizo) would be appealing as an occasional snack / Flavoured cheese tailored to enhance specific international cuisine dishes (eg jalapeño cheese for Mexican dishes) would be appealing / Flavoured cheese is unappealing as an everyday choice / Increasing the protein content in cheese negatively affects its taste

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for cheese
- Opportunities
- Flavoured cheese is well-placed to target snackers
- Create more routes for cheese discovery
- Hero independent producers
THE MARKET
- Snapshot – market size and forecast
- Weak consumer confidence hampers cheese sales
- Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-25
- Cheese prices pick up in 2025
- Graph 2: RPI cheese and all food, percentage change over 12 months, 2019-25
- Sustainability remains pertinent
- Healthy eating efforts bring opportunities and threats to cheese
- Market size and forecast
- Market size and forecast of cheese
- Graph 3: market forecast for retail value sales of cheese, 2019-30
- Cathedral City maintains market lead, own-label dominates
- Graph 4: leading brands’ sales in the cheese retail market, by value, 2022/23-2024/25
- Snack ranges thrive, cheddar brands falter
THE CONSUMER
- Nine in ten people eat cheese
- Cheese enjoys near-universal usage, three in ten eat it more than weekly
- Graph 5: frequency of eating cheese, 2023-25
- Less than half of under-45s buy cheddar
- Cheddar must engage the young
- Graph 6: types of cheese bought, by under-45s and over-45s, 2025
- Drive awareness of how to use cheese in hot and cold recipes
- Embrace social media to unlock new cheese occasions among 16-44s
- Embrace flavour to unlock snacking opportunities
- Exciting flavours make cheese snackable
- Flavoured cheese holds potential as a snack
- Tap hot and spicy flavour trend to appeal to snackers
- On-pack flavour cues are crucial to drive excitement
- Leverage accompaniments and recommendation
- Accompaniments and recommendations drive discovery
- Cross-selling with accompaniments can drive cheese sales
- Harness peer influence to drive discovery and trial of cheese among younger adults
- Technology will play a growing role
- Elevate cues shoppers associate with sustainability
- Lack of money is a barrier to sustainable choices
- Build awareness of the sustainability efforts of British dairy farmers…
- …and highlight British independent cheese in own-label ranges
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Cheddar looses share of cheese launches; brands take note of cheese adventurism
- Graph 7: share of new product launches referencing cheddar in the product name, 2021-25
- Seasonal and sharing launches continue
- Retailers and brands tap ‘swicy’ flavours
- Spicy and sweet flavours feature prominently among emerging/novel flavours
- Graph 8: flavour landscape for cheese, spicy and sweet flavours
- High/added protein launches gain share
- Plant-based cheese attracts varied NPD
- 2025 sees 40% increase in cheese ad spend
- Graph 9: above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cheese, by advertiser, 2021-25
- Flavour, authenticity and seasonal appeal are key themes
APPENDIX
- Report scope
- The market
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size and forecast of retail value sales of cheese
- Market size and forecast of retail volume sales of cheese
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (value)
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (volume)
- Market size and forecast of cheese [volume]
- Graph 10: market forecast for retail volume sales of cheese, 2019-30
- Market segmentation
- Market share
- Cheese – value brand sales
- Cheese – volume brand sales
- Cheese – value manufacturer sales
- Cheese – volume manufacturer sales
- Advertising and marketing
- Advertising spending on cheese by media type
- Advertising spending on cheese by advertiser
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology – EMEA
- UK generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Mintel Flavours Landscape Methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Abbreviations

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