DES MOINES, Iowa — That wonderful party snack, a cube of cheddar cheese, is more expensive this year.
A rebound in milk prices has pushed up costs for a range of dairy foods. Wholesale cheddar cheese prices are up about 25 percent from the end of 2010, an increase comparable with the 23 percent rise in the price of crude oil.
Butter has gone up even more, rising about 45 percent in the wholesale markets since last fall.
The increases squeeze retailers, especially a specialty cheese seller like David Clemens, manager of the Gateway Market in Des Moines.
“We’ve had to push up our prices for cheese by 10 to 15 percent, but we couldn’t cover the whole cost increase or we would destroy our market,” said Clemens.
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