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TOPLINE
The French are being encouraged to eat more cheese after dairy industry experts said a slump in demand could create a surplus of 5,000 tons of cheese.
Customers, wearing protective face masks and separated from the cheese by a plastic curtain, line … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
KEY FACTS
On Thursday, National Council of Appellations of Dairy Origin (CNAOL) Michel Lacoste told CNN that he estimates producers could find themselves burdened with more than 5,000 tons of surplus cheese by the end of the pandemic.
Since France went under coronavirus lockdown, sales of French cheese have slumped by almost 60% as a result of shuttered restaurants, a decrease in trade across international borders and consumers skipping out on expensive cheese purchases.
CNAOL has launched a campaign to encourage people to eat more cheese, and quickly—80% of cheeses have a shelf life of eight weeks or less, they said.
By Tuesday, French cheese producers had already gotten rid of 1,000 tons of cheese, whether by giving it away, disposing or destroying it, or melting it down and making lower-quality cheese products, according to Politico.
Business Insider reported another 1,500 tons of cheese could go to waste if it’s not distributed by Monday.
It’s an approach that has been used in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic before, as Belgians were encouraged last month to eat more of the country’s iconic frites to save the potato industry.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“Eat cheese, make a fair trade act to maintain the French culture, the French tradition, the French heritage, that we all share,” Lacoste told CNN.
KEY BACKGROUND
France has been dealt one of Europe’s highest coronavirus death rates, according to the BBC. On Thursday, the country had seen more than 25,000 confirmed deaths and nearly 175,000 total infections. However, the number of new infections has fallen in recent days, and parts of France are set to begin gradually rolling back restrictions Monday, though hard-hit Paris and the northeast region of the country will remain under lockdown.
“It’s good news for France and for the French people,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Thursday.
FURTHER READING
French people urged to eat more cheese, as pandemic causes sales to slump (CNN)
French farmers sound alarm in cheese market meltdown amid pandemic (Politico)
5,000 tons of French cheese are at risk of going to waste amid the coronavirus pandemic as demand sinks (Business Insider)
Belgians Asked To Eat Fries Twice A Week To Save 750,000 Tons Of Potatoes (Forbes)
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