(NewsNation) — Social media platform TikTok has thrust cottage cheese into the spotlight over the past year, leading to shortages nationwide as companies struggle to keep up with increasing demand for the clumpy cheese product.
The TikTok effect
Health-centric food trends have gained traction on social media recently, with many people seeking to optimize the nutritional value of their meals.
Cottage cheese is high in protein, low in sugar and calories and optimal for GLP-1 diets, making its appeal especially broad.
TikTok recipe videos featuring cottage cheese have exploded in popularity. Influencers are posting recipes for dishes ranging from pizza to pancakes, touting the health benefits and high protein value of cottage cheese.
Renewed interest in cottage cheese is surprising, however, as the product had been in decline in production and consumption for 20 years, according to dairy consultant Mike McCully, who spoke to WQAD 8.
“(We joked) it used to be me and 75-year-old women that ate cottage cheese,” McCully said. “It just was not a very trendy product. Now we’ve gotten young people eating cottage cheese.”
Nationwide shortages
From June 2024 to June 2025, cottage cheese sales increased by 20% in U.S. retail, according to data from Circana.
Companies nationwide have been forced to reevaluate their manufacturing strategies as consumers increasingly flock to the dairy aisle in search of cottage cheese.
One company that the cottage cheese craze has heavily impacted is Good Culture, which has seen a significant increase in popularity on social media recently. In fact, many customers have been struggling to find the product on shelves as the company works to keep up with the surge in demand.
“We know it’s been hard to find us lately. We see the DMs, know demand has been WILD and are working around the clock to get us back in stock,” the company posted on Instagram in July.
Organic Valley has also struggled to keep up with consumer demand, as sales increased over 30% in the first half of 2025.
“Organic Valley Cottage Cheese is selling faster than we can make it,” Andrew Westrich, marketing manager at Organic Valley, told CNN.
In the short term, it is unlikely that much can be done to address the shortages, as companies attempt to partner with more manufacturers and dairy processors expand their production capabilities.
Dairy consumption rising
The cottage cheese shortage is just one symptom of the increasing demand for dairy products nationwide, as per capita dairy consumption continues to rise in the U.S., according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
In 2023, overall dairy consumption matched its highest overall total on record in the U.S.