Shredded & diced cheese products belong to the category often referred to as "cooking cheese". This category is one of the fastest growing within cheese. Convenience and price structure has made these products very attractive during recent years.
Shredded products can be made out of more or less any type of cheese, and sometimes also analogue melting products are mixed with cheese to meet a specific demand or usage.
Shredded products in retail are typically sold fresh in amounts ranging from 150g to 500g, and fresh or frozen for HORECA & industry are sold in sizes up to 5kg.
Mozzarella is the most common cheese for shredding, followed by cheddar and a variety of cheeses and qualities. It's common to produce a mix of different cheeses for a special application, for example a Mozzarella/Cheddar mix.
Diced products are used for salads, in HORECA sector, industrial usage (Pizza industry etc.) or as snacks.
Diced cheese is used in many applications, salads, snacks, pizza production and more. It is produced both fresh & frozen, dry packed or in brine. White cheese in brine for salads or natural cheese as snacks are common in Retail while Mozzarella, Cheddar and other cheeses are the most common cheeses in industry and for Horeca and a variety of IQF products are also available for Horeca today.
Size, shape & packaging are varying. Diced cheeses are produced from ca 3x3x3mm and upwards.
IQF products have almost no limitation in terms of handling and shelf life, therefore many different cheeses can be found in this category, such as mozzarella, gorgonzola, cheddar, goat cheese etc.
Shredded cheese is produced from all types of cheese and in all types of packages and sizes depending on usage and taste. Different size of shreds, thickness and length of shreds in an unlimited variety depending on usage. Some shredded products are also suitable to freeze IQF for better handling and storage conditions.
Mix products (dairy/vegetable fat mix) or full analogue products are also shredded today and sold both in retail and for industrial usage. It's hard to tell the difference by just looking at the products, you have to test the product in its right application or analyze to be able to tell if it is a "Cheese" or a mix product made of vegetable fat.