how much cheese do Americans eat a lot and companies are spending big in hopes they can consume even more per capita cheese consumption has more than doubled since 1975 to about 42 lbs a year more than all the butter ice cream and yogurt combined companies are now racing to meet that booming demand and are hoping consumption might one day reach the raid of countries like France where each person eats well over 50 pounds of cheese a year facilities for making cheese and Whey account for more than half of the8 billion dollar in US Dairy plants slated to come online between 2023 and 2026 according to the international Dairy Foods Association part of Cheese’s appeal is that it’s high protein and easy to eat on the go it’s also simple with most cheeses only containing four ingredients making it popular in modern diets additionally it hasn’t been hit by plant-based Alternatives the same way almond and oat milk have dented milk demand plant-based cheeses exist of course but they haven’t really taken off in the mainstream more cheese hitting the market could help bring prices down for American Shoppers it could also help the US already a net cheese exporter grab a bigger share of international markets