From The Spring 2005 Issue of Natural Grocery Buyer

The word on curd

Stock your cheese case with organics and nondairy options

O’rya Hyde-Keller

Americans continue to increase their cheese consumption, giving stores lots of reasons to expand their offerings. Although organic, natural and nondairy (soy, rice and nut) cheeses were once sold only in natural foods stores, now supermarkets like Copps, Wegmans and Kroger offer a wide variety of these products.

“Consumers, no matter where they shop, are really interested in organic food,” says Gwen Scherer, director of marketing at Horizon Organic. Seventy percent of Horizon’s sales come from conventional grocery stores. “More consumers prefer to buy organic products in conventional stores because it’s where they tend to go for their shopping,” she says.

Galaxy Nutritional Foods, distributor of Soyco, Vegan, Rice and Veggie brands, also sells 70 percent of its products to conventional grocery stores. Beth Swanson, Galaxy’s business development manager, says there is wide appeal for nondairy cheese substitutes. “Vegan cheese alternatives offer consumers a casein- and dairy-free alternative that is perfect for those with dairy allergies or for those following a vegan diet,” she says.

Galaxy’s sales of nondairy cheeses have risen by 20 percent in the last five years, while Horizon’s have increased by 70 percent in the last year alone. “It’s a fast-growing category with a lot of consumer interest,” Scherer says. “It’s definitely one that conventional stores should take a look at providing.”

But as demand grows and the options increase, it can be hard to figure out what kind of cheese to carry and how to make customers aware of the cheese alternatives available to them. Both Swanson and Scherer recommend choosing organic and nondairy cheeses to stock based on how well their conventional counterparts are selling. They also suggest using advertising, in-store signage and cooking demos to make customers aware of organic, natural and nondairy options. “The most important thing is making them easy to find within the store, so that as your consumer is coming in, they know that those products are available and that they have that choice,” Scherer says.

In addition, Swanson says the best place to stock nondairy cheeses is in the produce section or the natural dairy set. “These two locations offer consumers more variety because cheese alternatives might get lost in the regular dairy section with all the competing brands,” she says.

Here is a look at the cheese options your customers seek.

Natural cheese
Produced directly from milk, as opposed to processed cheese, which is made by blending together different cheeses (such as cheddar and mozzarella) with emulsifiers to create a smoother texture, and pasteurizing it to extend shelf life.

Why customers are looking for it: Many people think that natural cheese tastes better than processed cheese. Often processed cheese contains artificial colorings and flavors, whichmay pose health risks.

Organic cheese
Produced by milk from cows that are not given hormones or antibiotics and are fed only organic grain—grain that is not genetically modified or treated with chemical pesticides.

Why customers are looking for it: There is growing concern that pesticides, hormones and genetically modified organisms are potentially hazardous to human health—particularly to children—and to the environment.

Rennet-less or vegetable rennet only
Rennet is obtained from the stomach lining of calves and used to curdle milk in order to make cheese. Cheese labeled “rennet-less” or “vegetable rennet only” most likely uses microbial organisms from the fermentation of fungus to curdle the milk—or more rarely, enzymes from plants like stinging nettle and thistle flower.

Why customers are looking for it: Strict vegetarians do not want a product that has any animal-derived ingredients in it. Some orthodox religions also have regulations that disallow the use of rennet.

rBGH-free/rBST-free
Produced by milk from cows that are not given recombinant bovine growth hormone, a genetically modified hormone injected into cows in order to make them produce more milk.

Why customers are looking for it: Although the Food and Drug Administration approves this hormone, some studies have shown that it may be a carcinogen. Also, waste run-off from farms that use the hormone may contaminate the water—affecting wildlife as well as drinking water.

Annatto/Carotenal
Both are vegetable-based natural colorings. Annatto is derived from the seeds of the annatto tree, while natural carotenal colors are derived from carrots and other orange or yellow fruits and vegetables.

Why customers are looking for it: Some people may have allergies or sensitivities to artificial colorings, while others simply prefer nonartificial ingredients for health or taste.

Soy cheese
This is probably the most common nondairy substitute and is made from the milk of pureed soybeans.

Why customers are looking for it: Vegans, who do not eat any animal products, often use soy cheese as a cheese alternative, particularly because soy is a complete protein. Nonvegans may seek out soy cheese because it is lower in fat than regular cheese and has many health benefits—or because they are allergic to lactose.

Casein-free
Soy cheese that does not contain casein, a milk protein that makes soy cheese more closely resemble regular cheese.

Why customers are looking for it: Strict vegans will look for this label because they do not want any animal byproducts in their food. Some nonvegans are allergic to casein.

Rice cheese, almond cheese
Two more alternatives to milk-based cheese.

Why customers are looking for it: Nonsoy, nondairy cheese alternatives offer flavor and texture varieties to customers who do not eat regular cheese.

O’rya Hyde-Keller is a freelance writer living in the land of cheeseheads, Madison, Wis.