BRUSSELS – Belgians are eating more cheese, the French-language rtl newssite reported on Tuesday

According to a study of 3,000 Belgian families, the average Belgian consumer purchased 11.6 kilogrammes of cheese in 2004 at a cost of 95 euros.

This represents an increase of 4 percent in volume and 4.5 percent in value over the previous year.

Families with children consumed the highest proportion of cheese, representing 47 percent of total volume consumed.

Hard cheeses, such as Gouda, were most popular and represented 54 percent of all cheese consumed, followed by soft cheeses, fondu cheeses, ‘abbaye’-style cheese and goat cheese.

While the Flemish tend to prefer hard cheeses, the Walloons are bigger fans of soft cheeses. Residents of Wallonia and Brussels also consume two to three times more cheese on average than the Flemish.

The year-on-year rise in cheese consumption is part of an overall trend – cheese consumption has been on the rise in Belgium since 2000.

As Belgians become more health-conscious, moreover, they are consuming more cheese. Belgian cheeses represent 19 to 30 percent of consumption.

[Copyright Expatica]

Subject: Belgian news