Something's rotten in the fine cheese business as some merchants are reporting a wave of parmesan cheese thefts.
"It's not really new, there are cycles," said Pierre-Alexandre Blouin of the Quebec Food Retailers Association of Food Retailers, noting his members are now reporting an uptick in thefts of parmesan, that is now retailing at an average of $50/kilogram.
Frank Hénot, owner of Intermarché Boyer in the Plateau said that at around $50/kilogram, parmesan cheese is the flavour of the month when it comes to shoplifters among his fellow merchants.
Hénot said he used to lose upwards of $250 a week in parmesan thefts before he locked everything up behind the counter.
Blouin said they're not sure where the cheese ends up but not too long ago in Sherbrooke, there was a similar string of thefts of fine cheese that was being sold on the black market to restaurants.
"When you steal high-end cuts of meat and fine cheese, it's not really for feeding your family," said Blouin in an interview with CJAD 800 News.
Hénot said he's hired a security guard to help ward off shoplifters - a big problem for him and other small merchants, who lose about 1% of their earnings to thieves. Hénot said he loses about $75,000 a year to shoptlifters.
Blouin said that can result in price hikes for customers.
"If you see someone stealing in the stores, you will pay for it so please help us to tackle this problem," said Blouin.