Cheese is the most stolen food by shoplifters.
Don’t blame it on the mice, as they would much rather have peanut butter. The whole “the cat takes the mouse, the mouse takes the cheese” is a misnomer. Mice like chocolate too. They may have been the inventors of the Reese Cup for all their love of peanut butter and chocolate. And don’t forget bacon. Mice like bacon.
But cheese? Not so much.
Yet. I digress. Back to the supermarket. Cheese is indeed the most stolen item globally when it comes to food. The “Center for Retail Research” performed a study and found that retailers have absorbed millions of dollars of losses in food products.
The loss is attributed mainly to theft by employees and organized crime rings. Who knew?
Apparently, cheese and meat are the two things that employees make off with. But, the organized crime rings target specialty items and products that are easy to sell in other ways.
Now, I don’t know if this means jelly beans, rice cakes, or baseball cards. But one item they make off with is baby formula. They say that baby formula sells for a high price. Additionally, it is sometimes distributed in illegal drug dealings because it can be used to dilute narcotics. Again, who knew?
They need to make this an episode of CSI or FBI or NCIS or some other abbreviation show.
Back to cheese. I think most people like cheese, I think. It has been around forever, almost. Cheese production can be dated back to 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated. There is an excellent chance our ancestors were all cheese eaters.
Surprisingly enough, the United States is the big hitter when it comes to cheese production. We make about 4275 metric tons of cheese a year. Germany produces 1927 tons, whereas France produces 1884 tons.
But ask this of yourself. How much cheese do I eat? In 2019, the average consumer in the United States ate about 40.4 pounds of cheese. That’s about 3/4 of a pound of cheese per week. I know I don’t eat that much cheese, so someone out there is making up for my end of the statistic. Probably someone who likes fried cheese or fondue.
Remember, not the mice.
Here’s another thing, while we are on the subject. A seller of cheese is known as a cheesemonger. I think I might take up a side gig selling cheese. Just so I can be known as Polly Kronenberger, Cheesemonger. I’d change the signature on my emails and make business cards. I used to want to be the Gatekeeper or the Keymaster after I saw Ghostbusters. But those hopes have faded over the years. I’m wondering just how much cheese I would have to sell to be considered a true Cheesemonger. I might throw a cheese party for my friends, sort of like Pampered Chef. But I’d sell little individually wrapped slices of American for easy carrying.
Anyway.
I guess I have cheese on the brain. When I was little, as a treat, we used to get these little jars of Mohawk Valley Limburger Cheese. I loved that stuff. I couldn’t get enough of it. Lately, I’ve been craving some, but I fear they quit making it this way. I was able to find some regular Limburger cheese, a lone pack, at Steiner’s Market. But. When I got it home, I found it had gone bad. There was a small break in the foil wrapping. Let me tell you this. Not much smells worse than rotten Limburger cheese. I know. I put my nose to it.
I paid for that cheese, by the way. I was not part of the cheese shoplifting statistic, nor will I ever be.
It is against the Code of the Cheesemongers. And it is a stringent code.
It can be applied to any area of life.
• Show others the same kindness and respect you would have them show you.
• Always do the right thing, even when it does not benefit you.
• Never kill, steal, lie, or cheat.
• Think before you act.
• Remember to be honest and fair.
• Have integrity.
• Have patience.
• Seek justice.
And avoid mold. (I made up this last one.)
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“Compassion is the basis of morality.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer
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“Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.”
― Mark Twain
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“Before you call yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or any other theology, learn to be human first.”
― Shannon L. Alder
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The truth about cheese, and moral codes.
