During the History and Culinary Delights of Bologna & Parma pre-trip extension to Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland, you’ll visit a farm to learn about the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano—but don’t get any wild ideas.
Question: What is the most frequently stolen food item in the world?
Answer: Cheese
When you think about shoplifting food, you probably envision teens stealing a few candy bars or snacks. Or college kids grabbing some packaged meats, maybe some coffee, or a bottle of booze and slipping it under their coats. Cheese probably wasn’t even on your radar. Yet it is estimated that an astonishing 4% of the world’s inventory of cheese is stolen each year—a figure that has earned cheese the dubious distinction of being the "most stolen food on Earth." So how much cheese are we talking about?
Well, there are about 48 billion pounds of cheese produced globally each year. About 12 billion pounds of that total are produced in the United States—and if that global percentage holds true in the U.S., that means about 500 million pounds of cheese are stolen in this country alone every year. Obviously, this amount of theft isn’t the result solely of kids pilfering a few Kraft American singles at the grocery store. What’s going on here?
Who removed my cheese?
Why is cheese the target of such widespread theft? Mostly, because it’s expensive. But also because it’s desirable and easy to dispose of. And the way it’s displayed in stores makes it especially tempting—thieves don’t have to worry about the security devices often found in electronics, cosmetics, and even razor blades these days. In fact, there are hardly any security measures at all to worry about. Cash can be traced by its serial numbers, but it’s next to impossible to trace cheese that has been stolen—or at least it used to be.
While shoplifting by individuals in supermarkets is on the rise, sophisticated teams of criminals are responsible for the majority of cheese thefts—which involve large quantities that are then resold to black markets and restaurants looking to avoid paying high retail prices.
Wheels of fortune
Speaking of high prices, if there’s one cheese targeted by criminals above all others, it’s that old Italian favorite, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Nicknamed “the King of Cheeses,” it can only be made in specific regions of Italy and producers must adhere to strict guidelines before it is given an official seal of authenticity with a unique identification code for each wheel of cheese. It is considered so valuable that hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of this de rigueur pasta topper are actually stored in bank vaults—and several banks even recognize this high-end cheese as a valid form of collateral for loans. Yet thieves still manage to steal an average of $3 million of Parmigiano-Reggiano each year.
One of the most brazen heists occurred in 2015, when a gang of 11 thieves stole 2,039 wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano from warehouses and factories across Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy—a haul that was worth $875,000. These weren’t amateurs, either. When Italian police captured the gang, they confiscated burglary tools, two-way radios, and sophisticated electronic devices designed to override alarm systems. And guns, too.
A couple of years later, during a campaign called "Operation Wine and Cheese," Italian police captured 10 members of another gang who were behind the theft of 168 wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano—worth about $110,000.
Who ordered a cheese burglar?
Other notable cheese heists around the world in recent years include 22,000 pounds of cheese stolen from a truck in Wisconsin (worth about $46,000); 20,000 pounds stolen from a trailer parked at a gas station in the U.K.; and $22,000 worth of cheese stolen in the Netherlands.
Some of the cheese thefts are “inside jobs,” like one at the California branch of Leprino Foods, the world’s largest manufacturer of mozzarella cheese. One of the two thieves who stole $50,000 worth of the stretchy pizza staple worked at the plant. But not all thefts are well-planned heists. Several years ago, two women walked into a Whole Foods in Oregon and requested a box full of cheese. While one went to the register, the other simply walked out the door with about $600 worth of Gouda and blue cheese. Gouda grief …
A grate awakening
In an effort to decrease to the everyday theft of cheese that has been hurting their bottom line, supermarkets in the U.K. finally began putting security tags on all their cheeses in 2022. The alarms should help dissuade individual shoppers from walking out with a block of their favorite cheese but will likely not deter any of the large-scale heists that continue unabated.
A few fascinating food thefts—that have nothing to do with cheese
- A sweet score—In 2011, thieves in the German town of Bad Hersfeld stole five tons of Nutella, the creamy hazelnut chocolate spread made in Ferrero, Italy. Hey, we all have a sweet tooth, but five tons of it?!
- Robbery has its perks—One year later, the same group of thieves stole an entire truckload of Red Bull. Apparently still not properly caffeinated, the criminals went on to steal another truck filled with $30,000 worth of coffee.
- A sticky situation—In 2023, some pancake-loving thieves siphoned off 2.7 million pounds of maple syrup from barrels in a warehouse rented by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.
- Someone’s got egg on their face—On New Year's Eve 2005, thieves made off with 22 tons of caviar from a truck parked in Moscow by a Russian businessman—who didn’t discover his $.5 million dollar loss until January 2. Not a very happy new year for him …
- Hot wings—Thieves used a forklift to steal $65,000 worth of chicken wings from a cold storage warehouse in Atlanta meant for the 2013 Super Bowl. Fans were probably just as satisfied munching on carrot sticks.
- Truck low on fuel but thieves got gas—In 2013 in Worcestershire, England, hungry criminals cut a hole in a parked truck and "liberated" 6,400 cans of Heinz Baked Beans.
- Sounds like Paulie Walnuts did it—In 2012, a truck in California loaded with 80,000 pounds of walnuts never made it to its delivery destination. A second truck from a different walnut farm disappeared a week later. Police were baffled, reportedly calling it “a tough nut to crack.”
- Mm, mm good grief—Several years ago, about $60,000 worth of Campbell's Soup was pilfered from a truck stop in Florida. There’s more to the soup story, but this will have to be the condensed version.
Find out why authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano is so coveted during the History and Culinary Delights of Bologna & Parma pre-trip extension to Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland.
