Crazy Drop in Cheese Prices

[boarder42]

Anyone else seeing this in their areas?  I assume its spread across america pretty well.  But cheese is in free fall right now it seems.  8'oz bricks a month ago we stocked up b/c they were 1.50 now our grocery has them for 1.28.

[Dezrah]

Whoa.  I'm bad at paying attention to prices.  Thanks for bringing this to my attention.  I opened an old spreadsheet from about a year ago with prices per volume and found our 8oz block of cheddar (the cheap stuff) was $2.77.  That's a very nice difference.  Now I'm off to Google the hows of freezing cheese.

[boarder42]

Whoa.  I'm bad at paying attention to prices.  Thanks for bringing this to my attention.  I opened an old spreadsheet from about a year ago with prices per volume and found our 8oz block of cheddar (the cheap stuff) was $2.77.  That's a very nice difference.  Now I'm off to Google the hows of freezing cheese.

its not good for it but cheese lasts 2 months in the fridge unopened.  and hard cheese last longer.

[powersuitrecall]

Not in Canada!  We still pay~$10/kg ($4.95/lb) for orange cheddar and twice that for the good stuff.

[boarder42]

Not in Canada!  We still pay~$10/kg ($4.95/lb) for orange cheddar and twice that for the good stuff.

wow... it amazes me at the prices of food in other parts of the world.  I know USA food is highly engineered to optimize price and produce it efficiently, but man some of these prices i'd never eat it.

[fiscalphile]

Awesome! I will have to check my local stores...

DH has been teasing me because I carted home 6 dozen eggs yesterday. Large eggs were 75 cents per dozen! At a trendy Brooklyn grocery store!! I remember just this early spring when I couldn't find them below $3/dozen.

Going to bake so many things.

[boarder42]

Awesome! I will have to check my local stores...

DH has been teasing me because I carted home 6 dozen eggs yesterday. Large eggs were 75 cents per dozen! At a trendy Brooklyn grocery store!! I remember just this early spring when I couldn't find them below $3/dozen.

Going to bake so many things.

they had a chicken virus hit the chicken farms last year that drove eggs to all time highs we quit eating them... just bought a ton last week at our supermarket in KC for 29c for a dozen large.

[Rosbif]

Checked my fridge. An average of 20€/kg. The Great Cheese Slump is yet to hit Paris...

[Choices]

Those changes haven't made it to most Phoenix grocery stores, but Costco has 2-lb cheese bricks in various varieties for 15-20 cents per ounce as their normal price.

[RichMoose]

Not in Canada!  We still pay~$10/kg ($4.95/lb) for orange cheddar and twice that for the good stuff.

Yes, but let's not forget what our Milk Marketing Cartel tells us: our prices are much less volatile!!

[Doubleh]

To be fair you might be able to get a yellow cheese flavoured food substance at that price, but to get something I actually recognised as tasting like real Cheddar we always seem to end up dropping about $20 a lb on fancy artisanal extra vintage stuff. Not completely anti mustachian as the fact it actually has a flavour means you don't need do much of it, but still.

Here in the uk I can get similar standard vintage cheese for about £10 a kilo so maybe $7 a lb or so?

[elaine amj]

Thanks for the heads up! I need to pick up some cheese for summer camping. I usually buy the Sargento mozarella cheese at Costco - wonder what the prices are like now?

[libertarian4321]

Anyone else seeing this in their areas?  I assume its spread across america pretty well.  But cheese is in free fall right now it seems.  8'oz bricks a month ago we stocked up b/c they were 1.50 now our grocery has them for 1.28.

Where and what store?

Last I checked (a couple of weeks ago), the "store brand" stuff was still up near $2.50 in Texas, a bit less on sale.

[justajane]

Those changes haven't made it to most Phoenix grocery stores, but Costco has 2-lb cheese bricks in various varieties for 15-20 cents per ounce as their normal price.

Twice in a row we had the Costco 2 lb cheddar block go really nasty on is. It was fairly quick too, so we don't buy it anymore.

But, yes, last time I was there I noticed the price had dropped quite a bit. At least 75 cents.

[boarder42]

Those changes haven't made it to most Phoenix grocery stores, but Costco has 2-lb cheese bricks in various varieties for 15-20 cents per ounce as their normal price.

Twice in a row we had the Costco 2 lb cheddar block go really nasty on is. It was fairly quick too, so we don't buy it anymore.

But, yes, last time I was there I noticed the price had dropped quite a bit. At least 75 cents.

yeah 8oz bricks are the way to go.. i couldnt eat 32oz of cheese before it went bad after opening.  we only eat dairy one day a week.

[acroy]

Dairy production is very high, commodity milk product prices have dropped 60-70% since 2013 to 2009 prices, not even accounting for inflation. This drives down the cost of all dairy products

[sirdoug007]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-29/u-s-cheese-inventories-soar-to-highest-since-1984

[boarder42]

Yeah i've looked at the dairy charts and most dairy is dropping along side but cheese specifically seems to have the bottom falling out of it.  seems like high inventory is helping that.

[Dicey]

Twice in a row we had the Costco 2 lb cheddar block go really nasty on is. It was fairly quick too, so we don't buy it anymore.

Aw, sorry that happened to you, justajane, but it can happen to cheese purchased just about anywhere. The good news is that Costco will refund your money, no questions asked. You don't need to bring in the gross cheese, just the package should suffice. They can look up your purchase on your card, so you don't even need a receipt...

Re: Freezing Cheese
Yes, cheese can be frozen, but it changes the texture somewhat. Best approach is to grate it onto cookie sheets, flash freeze, then store in your favorite freezer safe vessel(s). Keeps well and defrosts quickly. Whole blocks of cheese tend to be crumbly after freezing :-((

[Trudie]

They also specifically mention imported cheese from the EU.  Which stores are featuring these great deals?  Aldi?  Please share.

[Frankies Girl]

My Aldi raised their prices on their 8 oz. cheese blocks by like 20¢ in the last week. :(

I did pick up some Irish porter cheddar and Dubliner cheese for like a third off, but it was clearance at my local Kroger, so not a price drop.

[TrMama]

Not in Canada!  We still pay~$10/kg ($4.95/lb) for orange cheddar and twice that for the good stuff.

Yes, but let's not forget what our Milk Marketing Cartel tells us: our prices are much less volatile!!

AKA it will never go on sale. <grumble, grumble>

Why has the already dirt cheap price of milk/dairy in the US fallen even more in the past few years?

[MonkeyJenga]

Awesome! I will have to check my local stores...

DH has been teasing me because I carted home 6 dozen eggs yesterday. Large eggs were 75 cents per dozen! At a trendy Brooklyn grocery store!! I remember just this early spring when I couldn't find them below $3/dozen.

Going to bake so many things.

Uh, I need to prepare myself for a huge ribbing from The Man, because I'm tempted to travel to Brooklyn to stock up on eggs. Mind pm'ing me the store?

I haven't seen cheaper cheese. I checked yesterday and it's still 2.50 for 8oz at the cheapest place.

[ender]

Those changes haven't made it to most Phoenix grocery stores, but Costco has 2-lb cheese bricks in various varieties for 15-20 cents per ounce as their normal price.

Twice in a row we had the Costco 2 lb cheddar block go really nasty on is. It was fairly quick too, so we don't buy it anymore.

But, yes, last time I was there I noticed the price had dropped quite a bit. At least 75 cents.

yeah 8oz bricks are the way to go.. i couldnt eat 32oz of cheese before it went bad after opening.  we only eat dairy one day a week.

Do you put saran wrap on it and put it in a bag?

If you do that (and avoid touching your fingers all over the block) cheese lasts a really long time. touch it and don't seal it well and it will last not long at all.

Re: Freezing Cheese
Yes, cheese can be frozen, but it changes the texture somewhat. Best approach is to grate it onto cookie sheets, flash freeze, then store in your favorite freezer safe vessel(s). Keeps well and defrosts quickly. Whole blocks of cheese tend to be crumbly after freezing :-((

It also depends on what you use it for. We often freeze "melt and mix" cheeses that we are going to... melt and mix into things. Works well.