Cheese sales in Norway soared at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis

Norwegians ate 4.5% more cheese in the first three months of the year compared to the same period of last year, according to newspaper Nation.

The increase amounted to about 13 million liters of milk, which corresponds to the production from around 1,900 cows a year or an annual production of about 60 farms.

According to the Information Office for Dairy Products, sales of cream spreads increased by as much as 25%.

“The majority of dairy products are consumed at home, where we drink milk and eat cheese. Grocery sales have increased.

“So even though there are declines in other channels, such as restaurants, growth in the grocery market has offset these negative effects,” Ida Berg Hauge, director of Melk.no, told the newspaper.

Staples – milk and butter

She added that the increase could be explained by the fact that people bought more butter at the beginning of the corona outbreak because it has a long shelf life and is popular with children.

Milk sales also increased significantly in the first quarter. 

One million liters more milk was consumed from January to March compared to the same period of 2019.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today