In Central America more than 6 million people search online and participate in conversations associated with dairy products, with ice cream, fudge and yogurt being some of the products with the greatest presence in consumer interactions.
An analysis of consumer interests and preferences in Central America, prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, yields interesting results on people's preferences and tastes in food and other types of products or services.
In 2016 Central American countries imported 74,573 tons of cheese and curd, 4% more than in 2015.
Figures from the information system on the Cheese and Curd Market in Central America, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData : [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with the graph"]
Infant milk formula and yogurt are the derivatives which recorded the highest increases in demand between September 2015 and August 2016, compared to the same period last year.
The figures presented in the National Dairy Congress in Costa Rica, held in October, indicate that demand for dairy products grew at a rate of 6.5% last year, driven by increased demand for products such as yogurt in its different presentations, milk formula and cheese, among things.
Dairy imports into Honduras remained stable between 2013 and 2014, increasing by only 4% in each year, making a total of $42 million worth of imports in 2014.
Within the sector of dairy imports the product which increased the most was milk and cream , going from $15 million in 2013 to $20 million in 2014, which is an increase of 33% in imports.
However, imports of fresh cheese (unripened), including whey cheese, and curd, recorded a reduction of 43%, going from $8.3 million in 2013 to $4.7 million in 2014.
It is increasingly common to find in major Chinese cities imported food stores and supermarkets with wide ranges of products like chocolates, cheeses and beers.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rica Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
The transition China has experienced has allowed imports to go from being expensive and difficult to being readily available.
While the average milk consumption per person in Central America is less than 100 kilos per year, Costa Ricans consume twice that amount in the time span.
According to the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) from 2009 to 2013, imports of dairy products grew by 80%. The top dairy products entering the market are cheeses, due to product diversification, the positive attitude of local consumers to new flavors and the high resistance of the product during transportation and distribution.
Italy has asked the Public Registry of Costa Rica for an extenstion of one month to defend three of the six GIs for cheeses under discussion.
The request was made at the Public Registry on September 13 when documentation was presented in defense of the cheeses, Emmental Provolone Valpadana and Manchego. "The appellation of origin of the latter is Spanish, but Italy is taking up the case", reported Nacion.com.
Sigma Foods has bought the Costa Rican firm Productores de Monteverde, consolidating the second place in the country's dairy market.
The Mexican company gave no details as to the value of the purchase or the characteristics of the acquisition that took place on Monday, April 1, during a meeting of partners.
Among the companies who were interested in buying the company were: Dos Pinos, Florida and Sigma Alimentos.
After six years of proceedings, the certification for cheese makers in Santa Cruz de Turrialba, Costa Rica, makes it the first dairy product in the region to have a mark of origin.
Specifications provided for the mark of origin:
"Queso Turrialba":
1. PRODUCT NAME AND MARK OF ORIGIN
Mark of Origin "Turrialba cheese".
Two types of cheese will bear the mark: "Turrialba Fresco” (Fresh Turrialba) and "Turrialba Maduro” (Mature Turrialba).
Both consumption and supply of these types of cheese has increased in recent years.
Adrian Alonso, director of operations for the Auto Mercado supermarket chain shares the vision of gourmet cheese producers, like Maritza Solano of Santa Cruz de Turrialba and Miguel Coronado Guard on the increased consumption of specialty cheese by Costa Ricans.
"Adrian Alonso, attributes it to new trends in consumption, such as with wines, where there is a desire to 'find the perfect marriage between food and wine'", reported Elfinancierocr.com
Both blocks decided to concede in what seemed to be irreducible positions, making last minute concessions yesterday.
One of the key issues was denominations of origin: Europe demanded laws to protect brands such as champagne and manchego cheese. The other was how many dairy products would be allowed into the Central American market. The latter was closed when Central America agreed to allow 1.900 tons of powder milk with reduced tariffs and 3.000 tons of cheese, excluding fresh cheese.
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