(Food-Beverage-News.Com, December 24, 2016 ) Cheese is originally from southern Italy and is used for several pizzas and pasta dishes. Consumption of cheese has several health benefits associated with it. It is a good source of Vitamins, minerals, proteins. Apart from several benefits there are various health problems associated with its consumption such as heart attacks. Some of the major drivers of the cheese market are changing food habits, increasing fast food chains and over consumption of pastas, pizzas and easy availability of raw materials such as milk. Some other growth factors are increasing demand for protein rich supplements. Increasing health awareness and changing preferences of the customers for the low fat content cheese are some of the restraints in the cheese market. Some other restraints are perishable nature of the cheese products and stringent government rules.
Indian Cheese market is expected to show double digit growth. Processed cheese market in India is expected to grow with above average CAGR that includes products such as slices, cubes and slabs. Processed cheese segment is well organised and have several Indian and International players.
On the basis of Geography s Cheese market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europa and Rest of the world. On the basis of product type Cheese market in India is segmented into Cheddar (Hard cheese), Cottage Cheese and Mozzarella cheese. Cheese market can also be segmented on the basis of type as processed cheese which includes spreadable and block cheese and unprocessed cheese which includes hard cheese, soft cheese and spreadable unprocessed cheese. On the basis of uses Cheese is segmented into Parmesan cheese chips, Mac and cheese waffles, cheese straws, Fried cheese balls, cheese curds.
Major trend in the Indian Cheese market is the entry of various Indian and international brands. As a result of increasing exposure to the several variety of cheese most customers use processed cheese which is used in Pizza and burgers. Consumption of cheese in India is growing with double digit and maximum consumption of branded cheese is contributed by metropolitan cities. Companies such as Dabon added paneer to their product offerings and others added tin, cubes, slabs to their portfolio. Due to the increasing shift of the consumers towards premium variants, rise in milk price and inflation there is increase in the unit prices of the cheese. Gowardhan which is the brand of Parag Milk Foods launched new flavours. It extended its product portfolio by launching product variants such as cheese spreads, cheese powder, cream cheese, cheese sauce and wedges. Parag Milk Foods also launched international flavours such as jalapeno and paprika .Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation sells milk products under the brand name Amul decided to open 1000 more outlets across India and also has decided to set up nine manufacturing units in order to enhance the capacity of prevailing plants. Another trend in the Indian cheese market is shift of customers towards natural cheese. Innovative marketing activities, technological up gradation and research and development in cheese production have opened up new opportunities for growth in the Indian cheese industry
Some of the major players in the Indian cheese market are Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, Britannia industries, Amul, Britannia Dabur are the leading players. Other players are Verka, Nandini, Vijaya and Vadila
Indian cheese market is expected show double digit growth. India is one of the largest market for pizzas that sources mozzarella cheese locally. Due to the increasing cheese consumption in India, several global firms such as Kraft Cheese and Fromageries Bel and Arla Cheese have started capturing the Indian market
