World’s largest technical cheese competition returns

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The largest technical cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the world started Tuesday in Wisconsin, with 2,978 entries from 29 nations.

The 53 judges taste, sniff and inspect the 141 classes of dairy products during the biennial World Championship Cheese Contest, this year held in Madison.

The number of entries is down from 2020 when it was a record 3,667.

That’s partly due to supply chain issues, labor shortages and shipping issues, according to Grace Atherton, communications director for Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, which organizes the event.