Milan (Italy) (AFP) - For the first time more than half of Parmesan cheese was exported, as Italy’s population declines and consumers watch their spending, producers said Thursday.

Exports of the flavourful hard cheese produced around Parma in northern Italy rose by 2.7 percent to nearly 75,000 tonnes last year, the industry’s trade association said.

Shipments of Parmesan Reggiano – its full name – even rose by 2.3 percent to the United States despite tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The tariffs, which currently stand at 25 percent, have slowed down orders in Parmesan’s top export market, however.

Imports were down 16 percent year-on-year in January.

“The big problem in the United States is uncertainty,” said the head of the Parmesan Reggiano Consortium, Nicola Bertinelli.

But she said the challenge was not insurmountable.

“We’re not sitting around crying about it; we’re ramping up our investments,” Bertinelli said.

Parmesan has notably sponsored the Utah Jazz basketball team and the ATP tennis tournament in Miami at great expense.

- Cheap competition -

Parmesan producers plan to make further dents in the American market by increasing their visibility, particularly on supermarket shelves but also in restaurants, in order to differentiate themselves from local cheese labelled as “Parmesan” and sold at half the price.

Italy’s Parmesan Reggiano carries the DOP certification to indicate “Protected Designation of Origin”, but the name Parmesan is also used by lower-quality competitors abroad.

Back home in Italy, Parmesan sales are declining as the population declines.

Some 80 percent of Italians still consume it, but they are buying it less often and in smaller quantities, accounting for a 10-percent drop in sales by volume last year.

Bertinelli also acknowledged that Parmesan faced competition as Italians watch their spending.

“If you just need to grate some cheese over pasta, there are alternatives,” she said.

Ranked among the kings of Italian cheese, with its cows fed on hay and grass, Parmesan has risen in price by three euros in a year to reach an average of 23.5 euros ($27.10) per kilo in Italy’s supermarkets.

This widens the gap with Grana Padano, a competitor with less stringent production rules, as well as other cheeses meant for grating.

To stay competitive, Parmesan plans to position itself more as an appetiser cheese.

Producers also want to strengthen their tourism offerings for food enthusiasts, as Piedmont and Tuscany have already done for wine.

France, the second-largest export market, remained stable in 2025 as did Germany, the third-largest market.

In the longer term, Parmesan also plans to expand marketing in Northern European countries and Latin America, followed by Southeast Asia.