The Most Stolen Food in the World Is Cheese

Cheese is the most stolen food item in the world, with approximately 4% of all cheese produced disappearing due to theft each year. This staggering statistic means that organized criminals steal over $100 million worth of cheese annually, making it more frequently targeted than candy, meat, or alcohol.

Why Thieves Love Cheese

Cheese makes the perfect target for criminals because it combines high value with easy resale. A single wheel of authentic Parmigiano Reggiano weighs 75 to 90 pounds and sells for $300 to $1,000 wholesale. Premium aged cheeses can be stored for years without refrigeration and leave no paper trail. Unlike electronics or jewelry, cheese can be quickly sold to restaurants, markets, and food distributors with few questions asked.

Organized Crime Runs the Cheese Black Market

Cheese theft is not the work of hungry shoplifters. Sophisticated criminal organizations plan elaborate heists targeting cheese warehouses and delivery trucks. In 2016, thieves in Wisconsin stole $875,000 worth of cheese in a single operation. Italian authorities regularly bust crime rings stealing tons of Parmigiano Reggiano from aging facilities. These gangs have established networks to move stolen cheese across borders and into legitimate food supply chains.

Parmigiano Reggiano Is the Top Target

Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy suffers the highest theft rates of any cheese variety. Each wheel takes a minimum of 12 months to age, with premium varieties aging for 24 to 36 months. This long production time and the cheese's high market value make it extremely attractive to thieves. Italian cheesemakers lose millions of euros every year to theft, with some facilities installing security systems rivaling those of banks.

How Stolen Cheese Enters the Market

Stolen cheese typically gets sold to restaurants and food distributors at 50% to 70% of retail price. Buyers either know the cheese is stolen and don't care, or criminals provide fake documentation claiming legitimate origin. Because individual cheese wheels are hard to trace without special markings, stolen products easily blend into normal distribution channels. Consumers and chefs often have no idea they are buying stolen cheese.

The Difficulty of Tracking Cheese

Unlike cars or phones, cheese wheels rarely have individual serial numbers or tracking systems. While some premium producers now use microchip tags or laser engraved codes, most cheese remains unmarked. This makes prosecuting cheese theft extremely difficult even when authorities recover stolen product. Without clear evidence linking specific wheels to a theft, criminals often escape serious punishment.

Global Scale of the Problem

Cheese theft occurs in every country that produces or imports significant quantities of cheese. European nations face the highest losses due to their production of expensive aged varieties. The United States reports hundreds of cheese thefts yearly, with trucks carrying thousands of pounds stolen from rest stops and distribution centers. Canada, Australia, and Latin American countries all report substantial cheese crime.