The Tastiest Crime: Why Cheese Is The Most Stolen Food In The World

There's a lot that people say they would do for a sharp, salty bite of Parmigiano Reggiano, a spread of buttery brie, or a slice of rich, tangy cheddar, but would people risk going to jail for it? Apparently, the answer is yes. It seems that cheddar, one of the first cheeses in America, is worth a lot of, well, cheddar, and people have gone to great lengths to steal that and several other cheeses either by shoplifting at the supermarket or through heists elaborate enough to fill the plot of an "Ocean's 11" film.

Cheese's renown as an oft-pillaged prize began in 2011, after a report put cheese at the top of the list for shoplifted items worldwide. Although the report hasn't been updated, there have been enough cheese thefts — some worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — over the years to indicate a continuing desire for this particular dairy product.

One of the most coveted cheeses is Parmigiano Reggiano. According to one estimate, more than $3 million of the cheese is stolen in Italy every year. In 2015, Italian police arrested an armed gang accused of stealing more than 2,000 wheels, worth $875,000. Then there was the theft of 3,550 pounds of cheese in the Netherlands; 100 wheels of Comte, worth $1,000 apiece, in France; and 22 tons of cheddar in England. Europe isn't the only target: In 2013, a thief in Wisconsin, the state that produces more cheese than any other, drove off with a truck filled with 21 tons of Muenster cheese.

It's estimated that food-related crimes, which include theft as well as smuggling and counterfeiting, cost the food industry $30 to $50 billion each year. Many believe the purloined products are being sold on a black market, particularly in Russia, which was cut off from much of the global food supply in recent years. Cheeses banned in certain locations also have high appeal on the black market for those looking to try out certain delicacies. 

If you think cheese is craveable, so do criminologists. They use the acronym CRAVED to describe stolen items that are concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable and count cheese among those items. Unfortunately, they do not receive the same level of security as other CRAVED items, like alcohol. That, however, seems to be changing. Cheesemakers are now embedding tiny chips into the rind of cheese wheels. The chips allow the cheese to be tracked as well as checked for authenticity. Perhaps the next time you visit one of the 12 grocery stores with the best cheese departments, you'll feel a few more eyes watching you.