Say Cheese!

I had to share this story because it's just too strange:

According to a new report from the Center for Retail Research, the most frequently stolen food on the planet is… cheese.

The report says four percent of the protein and calcium-rich (not to mention tasty) food winds up being shoplifted worldwide every year, besting the theft-rates for other items like candy and alcohol and causing cheese to be labeled “high risk” for retailers.

Shoplifting rates as a whole have risen, possibly in response to rough economic times. “Compared to the 2010 figures, loss among the high-risk food lines has shot up by more than the global average, evidence that they are increasingly being targeted by shoplifters,” said Neil Matthews, vice-president of retail security firm Checkpoint Systems.

 

Yup, that's right...cheese. I guess what I'm wondering is, who's stealing all the cheese? Have you ever been at Stop & Shop and seen someone stuffing a block of mozzarella in their trousers? (Um, cold!). Have you ever witnessed a ricotta robber? I mean it's not like I don't believe the story, I just found it to be, well, bizarre. If I have to start bringing a card to the deli and giving over my drivers license info every time I want a block of fontina, I am not going to be a happy camper.