A New California Milk Advisory Board Study Cites Increased Consumption of U.S.-Produced Cheeses, Growth of Specialty Cheeses as Key Trends. Americans are developing broader tastes in cheese and most of the cheese they are eating is made in the U.S., reports a new study sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB). The study, "U.S. Cheese Consumption Trends, 1994-2003," reports that the steady growth in natural cheese consumption that the U.S. has seen for more than two decades is being supplied by domestic production and not imports. Americans consumed 8.8 billion pounds of cheese in 2003 with a total market value of $39.9 billion, according to the study.