CAMEMBERT has lost its place as France's favourite cheese.

The soft white cheese has been knocked into second place by the sturdy yellow Emmental. In third place is brie.

The change in France's cheese-eating tastes was revealed in Le Figaro newspaper.

Overall the average French person ate 24kg of cheese 2009 – up 2.9% on the 2008 figure.

A spokesman for the Centre national interprofessionnel de l’économie laitière, Laurent Damiens, said that habits were changing with less than 50% of French people eating cheese regularly with each meal.

"Using cheese in snacks, like feta or mozzarella in salads or preparing dishes with grated cheese is rising," he said.