Since 2020, food sectors within the marketplace have changed dramatically. Supply of food products, factory operations, and transportation all have been affected by the reaction of society and businesses due to COVID-19.
As the foodservice industry saw a rapid decline, prepared foods began a new journey of development and importance within our every day lives.
One increased importance was the influx of dairy products— more specifically, cheeses within our homes. Children that previously were in school on a daily basis, now took part in virtual learning. Families became responsible for supplying lunch to their children; pre-prepared, nutritious meals became the go-to, sought after option for the lunch hour.
Cheeses were, and continue to be, on high demand as additions to pizzas, ready- made meals, and sauces. As a manufacturer of cheese shredding and processing equipment, we at Deville Technologies, saw an exponential need for our equipment throughout the world to reduce 40lb blocks of cheese to supply to the prepared foods retail market.
Due to the transportation issues worldwide, many international dairy companies became decentralized in order to accommodate the local markets more readily. The demand once again increased in areas of the world that in the past, were the receivers of distributed cheese products. As supply chain issues increased, the local plant operations gained further independence to develop their technologies and efficiencies, whereas in the past, this was driven from a corporate headquarters in a time zone and a world away.
As COVID19 stressed global food markets, suppliers and manufacturers within the dairy industry have been able to create enormous strides with delivering technology, equipment and prepared foods to customers and homes throughout the world. We, as an essential manufacturer of equipment for the cheese industry, were provided with the opportunity to diversify not only our offerings to supply a demanding industry, but to also work in countries and cultures that previously did not have a use for industrial cheese processing equipment.
In conclusion, COVID 19 has changed dietary eating habits globally. Even though cheese consumption increased during the pandemic, it will remain a constant staple and a main part of our diet. Variety and taste will ensure that cheese sees a healthy growth in the marketplace, in years to come. As manufacturers of cheese processing equipment, we will have a big role to play in order to help manufactures keep up with the increasing demand and develop innovative solutions for the dairy segment.