Government cheese
Encyclopedia
Government cheese is processed cheese
that was provided to welfare and food stamp recipients
in the United States
from the 1960s through to the early 1990s. (The style of cheese predated the era, having been used in military kitchens since the Second World War and in schools since as early as the 1960s.)
. Direct distribution of dairy products began in 1982 under the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program
of the Food and Nutrition Service
. According to the government, it "slices and melts well." The cheese was provided monthly, in unsliced block form, with generic product labeling and packaging.
Currently, the USDA
provides a subsidized food program for specific classes of foods in the United States known as the Women, Infants and Children
program, as well as other programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
In the United States the term has been used, sometimes derisively, to describe government assistance, monetary or otherwise, given some U.S. residents; for example, a person receiving such aid could be said to "live on Government Cheese."
, it consists of a variety of cheese types and other ingredients such as emulsifiers blended together, and may be made of any of Cheddar cheese
, Colby cheese
, cheese curd, or granular cheese
. The cheese was often from food surpluses stockpiled by the government as part of milk price supports. Butter
was also stockpiled and then provided under the same program. Some government cheese was made of kosher products. This cheese product is also distributed to victims of a natural disaster following a State of Emergency declaration.
Processed cheese
Processed cheese, process cheese, cheese slice, prepared cheese, cheese singles or cheese food is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey...
that was provided to welfare and food stamp recipients
Food Stamp Program
The United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , historically and commonly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal-assistance program that provides assistance to low- and no-income people and families living in the U.S. Though the program is administered by the U.S. Department of...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the 1960s through to the early 1990s. (The style of cheese predated the era, having been used in military kitchens since the Second World War and in schools since as early as the 1960s.)
History and impact
The cheese was bought and stored by the government's Commodity Credit CorporationCommodity Credit Corporation
The Commodity Credit Corporation is a wholly owned government corporation created in 1933 to "stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices"...
. Direct distribution of dairy products began in 1982 under the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program
Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program
The Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program is a program that evolved out of surplus commodity donation efforts begun by the USDA in late 1981 to dispose of surplus foods held by the Commodity Credit Corporation...
of the Food and Nutrition Service
Food and Nutrition Service
The Food and Nutrition Service , an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture , was established on August 8, 1969. FNS is the federal agency responsible for administering the nation’s domestic nutrition assistance programs...
. According to the government, it "slices and melts well." The cheese was provided monthly, in unsliced block form, with generic product labeling and packaging.
Currently, the USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
provides a subsidized food program for specific classes of foods in the United States known as the Women, Infants and Children
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children is a Federal assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants and children...
program, as well as other programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
In the United States the term has been used, sometimes derisively, to describe government assistance, monetary or otherwise, given some U.S. residents; for example, a person receiving such aid could be said to "live on Government Cheese."
Ingredients
Like traditional processed American cheeseAmerican cheese
American cheese is a processed cheese. It is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor, with a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily. American cheese was originally only white, but is usually now modified to yellow. In the past it was made from a blend of cheeses, most often Colby...
, it consists of a variety of cheese types and other ingredients such as emulsifiers blended together, and may be made of any of Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese, produced in several countries around the world. It has its origins in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset....
, Colby cheese
Colby cheese
-History:Joseph F. Steinwand in 1874 developed a new type of cheese at his father's cheese factory near Colby, Wisconsin. The cheese was named after the village, which had been founded three years earlier....
, cheese curd, or granular cheese
Granular cheese
Granular cheese, also known as stirred curd cheese and hard cheese, is a type of cheese produced by repeatedly stirring and draining a mixture of curd and whey. It can refer to a wide variety of cheeses, including the grana cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and various others...
. The cheese was often from food surpluses stockpiled by the government as part of milk price supports. Butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
was also stockpiled and then provided under the same program. Some government cheese was made of kosher products. This cheese product is also distributed to victims of a natural disaster following a State of Emergency declaration.
External links
- USDA Commodity Requirements - PCD5 Pasteurized Process American Cheese for Use in Domestic Programs - description of government cheese