Cheese is a popular food among people of all ages and its popularity stems from its nutritional value and convenience. Cheese comes in many varieties, shapes, and sizes. It makes an ideal snack food. The recent expansion of ethnic foods that include cheese as an ingredient is somewhat responsible for the increased use of cheese. Per capita consumption of cheese has roughly doubled over the past 20 years. The annual U.S. per capita consumption increased from 12.4 to 24.7 lbs. Rapidly expanding restaurant pizza sales and changes in lifestyles that emphasize convenience food are also major factors affecting cheese trends. The increasing popularity of pizza has caused consumption of mozzarella cheese to more than double in the past decade alone. Cheese sales in 1993 reached about $17.2 billion. Concerns over fat intake and its affect on health has resulted in a growing production of the “light” varieties, which represent about 38% of all new cheese products introduced in the past two years.

The origin of cheese as a staple in the human diet is lost in history. By some accounts, cheese has been around for 6,000 to 7,000 years. It was standard fare for the Egyptians of about 2000 B.C. and many types were made by the Romans. Cheese making skills were brought by settlers who migrated due to famine, conflicts, and invasions. The Roman invasion of Britain brought a new art of cheesemaking to that country, although cheese may have been made there previously.