by Alison Jones

Did you know that Velveeta is not cheese? According to Chicago Business, several years ago,
“the FDA issued Kraft a warning letter saying some versions of Kraft Singles Pasteurized Process Cheese Food and Velveeta spread were misbranded because they were falsely represented as “cheese foods.” Those items are now identified as “cheese products.”
There is a difference between cheese and a cheese product. Most cheese is made with only two or three ingredients: milk, culture, and usually rennet. A few cheeses, such as queso blanco and panir, are made with only milk and something acidic, such as vinegar or lime juice. Velveeta has lots of artificial ingredients in it that traditional cheese does not. Cheese products are much cheaper to manufacture than real cheese.
Why does this matter? According to Yahoo Voices, “If something is chocolatey, it doesn’t necessarily contain chocolate. If a dog food is meaty, it doesn’t necessarily contain meat. . . . It’s a matter of maybe not getting what you think you are getting. Also, the price could be disproportionate for the ingredients it contains.” So, Velveeta is a cheese product, not cheese. Read labels and make sure that you know what is really in the product.
On Wednesday and Friday of this week, Thrifty Homesteader will be sharing some real cheese recipes that you can make at home!