Sales indicate that consumers continue to prefer natural over processed cheese, with slices, shreds and cubes sales getting a boost. In the processed cheese category, cheese spreads/balls was the only segment with positive sales numbers.

Whether it’s an electrolyte-packed sports drink or a dose of caffeine from an energy drink, consumers really like their energy-boosting beverages. Sales for both sports drinks and energy drinks are jumping.

Cheese consumption continues to rise in the United States with the most recent data showing that on average, each American consumes a little over 35 pounds of cheese each year – an all-time high, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Though sales are down for the overall milk category, there is still promise thanks to flavored milks and whole milk — both of these segments saw unit-sale increases.

Sales in the ice cream category look promising as dollars and units rose in the last year. Meanwhile unit sales in the frozen novelties category were frozen in place.

As we wrote about in our State of the Industry report last month, consumers love their cheese and are eating more of it, but prefer all-natural varieties.

Flavored eggnogs and limited-edition ice creams and yogurts hit stores for the holiday season.

Consumers love their cheese and are clear about what they want. It has to be easy to eat, portable, available in a variety of flavors and all-natural. These are the dominant themes from almost every cheese processor we spoke with. Convenience, flavor innovation, authenticity and freshness are key factors that will drive consumer cheese purchases, according to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Madison.