Say cheese

Auckland: A block of 1kg tasty cheese has been selling for $21.50 at Countdown as production costs and milk prices rise.

A Countdown spokesman said there was ‘‘significant pressure’’ on the price of cheese, when asked to comment on the Mainland Aged Tasty variety.

This was due to the ‘‘record high’’ farmgate milk prices and strong international demand for New Zealand dairy.

The average price of a kilo of cheddar cheese in 2016 was $7.68. —