Campaign Encourages French People to Eat More Cheese

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A new campaign is urging French people to eat more cheese because its sales have plummeted, and producers have been left with an overstock of the product. The French dairy industry started the campaign called “Fromagissons," which means “Let’s act for cheese.” Michel Lacoste, president of the National Council of Appellations of Dairy Origin, said that it is a patriotic duty for the French to support the cheese industry because cheese is an important aspect of the French culture. According to Lacoste, the current global health crisis has resulted in an excess supply of over 2,000 tons of cheese. Based on reports, sales of cheese have gone down by 60% because of the closure of restaurants and markets. Lacoste added that many people avoided buying cheese and prioritized purchasing essential goods instead when the outbreak began. Because of this, producers might end up with around 5,000 tons of unsold cheese in total. In response to the situation, the European Union (EU) has decided to pay French farmers to store around 18,000 tons of cheese while many establishments are still closed. However, producers argued that this action will not address the issue of oversupply, which will only be resolved when cheese becomes available in the market again. To address this issue, farmers have urged the EU to let them reduce production and be compensated for the missed income due to the pandemic. A report revealed that dairy farmers have resorted to producing butter, cream, and milk to continue earning income. Despite this action, the dairy industry will continue to suffer if French people do not consume more cheese.