Pop quiz.

What do you think is the most stolen item in the world?

Drugs?

Cars?

Bread?

Bread was the first thing that came to my mind perhaps because I love the book and the musical Les Miserables‘. Who can forget Jean Valjean going to prison for stealing bread to feed his sister’s children?

All of those answers are wrong!

Would you believe that after surveying nearly 1200 retailers representing 250,000 retail outlets all across the world, the UK’s Center for Retail Research discovered that the most stolen item is none other than:

CHEESE!

Believe it or not, nearly 4% of cheese is stolen each and every year.

Dr. Joshua Banfield, Director of the Center for Retail Research, says that with the price of healthy cheese such as authentic Gouda rising, much of the theft is for resale into other markets or to restaurants.

Other frequently stolen items making the high risk list include meat, chocolate, alcohol, and seafood including caviar.

I find it interesting that three out of the top five most stolen items are animal foods considered by Traditional Societies to be essential for vibrant health.

It seems that when desperation sets in at the level which compels a person to become a criminal, the misguided mantra of conventional nutritionists and government agencies to avoid meat and foods high in saturated fat like cheese quickly goes out the window.

Perhaps there is more going on here than small time criminals trying to make a quick buck on the black market. Could many of these people stealing cheese, meat, or seafood simply be extremely hungry during these tumultuous economic times and instinctively favoring those foods that will give them the most nutrition and ability to survive?

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

Source: World Dairy Diary