With one in five Californians currently struggling with food insecurity, partnerships between farmers and food banks are an essential tool in fighting hunger.

It’s not everyday that a company celebrates a milestone 100-year anniversary, but La Fromagerie Henri Hutin, created in 1922 when young Henri, at the age of 22, took over the family creamery, says it is “beyond excited” to celebrate its 100-year as it continues to be a leading French producer and exporter of soft-ripened, pressed soft-ripened and spreadable fresh specialty cheeses.

With the goal of helping consumers “Cheese Confidently,” Cello, a brand of Fairfield, N.J.-based Schuman Cheese, released a line of entertaining trays — Simply Pleasures — that are expertly curated for taste and quality.

When it comes to cheese trends with staying power for 2018, think all natural, artisanal and organic. Those are the top three cheese-related trends, according to Dairy Foods' 2018 Cheese Outlook Study.

As consumers continue to seek out food with clean ingredients, protein on the go, freshness and convenience, cheese is the answer to many of those needs. Over the last year, cheese processors have doubled down on portable snack offerings, from cheese bites to snack packs. Hybrid options (think cheese paired with lunch meats, nuts, fruit and pretzels) are popping up everywhere. Portion control and portability are the keys.

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.

The European dairy cooperative Arla Foods amba has set its sights on the United States. The strategic plan of this co-op based in Denmark states that the goal is to “excel in eight dairy categories; focus on six geographical regions and win as one united and efficient Arla.”

These are good times to be in cheese. It is a dairy food that consumers like and it can be packaged in formats that fit an on-the-go way of life. Dairy processors are investing in capacity to keep up with demand.

In an ideal world, all solids in the cheese vat would end up in the finished product. Unfortunately, this is not possible with our current cheesemaking methods.