Bushra Griffith
Cheez-It crackers are manufactured by Kellanova through its Sunshine Biscuits division. They are made with wheat flour, vegetable oil, skim milk, salt, spices, and—most importantly for this discussion—real cheese. The crackers' orange tint is derived from both the cheese and added annatto extract colour, a natural food dye. While cheese is not the dominant ingredient in Cheez-Its, the company has made a point of advertising it as such.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Made with real cheese | Yes |
| Dominant ingredient | No |
| Cheese type | 100% real dairy cheese, made with skim milk |
| White Cheddar Cheez-It® crackers cheese type | White Cheddar cheese made with full-fat milk |
| Color | Annatto extract color, a natural food dye |
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What You'll Learn
Cheez-It crackers are made with real cheese
The Green & Green Company, a Dayton, Ohio-based cracker manufacturer, introduced Cheez-It crackers to the market on March 31, 1921. The company marketed the product as a "baked rarebit," a dish of melted cheese over toast. The crackers were originally rectangular in shape, measuring 26 by 24 millimeters (1.0 by 0.94 inches). While cheese is a primary ingredient in Cheez-It crackers, it is not the dominant component, with flour and vegetable oil listed before it in the ingredient breakdown.
The orange tint of the crackers is derived from both the cheese and added ingredients like annatto extract color, a natural food dye, and paprika. The presence of paprika also contributes to the signature spice flavor of the original Cheez-It cracker.
In 2010, Kellogg's launched an advertising campaign emphasizing that the "cheez" in Cheez-It crackers is, in fact, real cheese. This campaign aimed to assure consumers that the product contains the familiar dairy product they know and love.
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The cheese used is made with skim milk
Cheez-It crackers are made with real cheese, and the cheese used is made with skim milk. In fact, one of the primary ingredients in Cheez-It snack crackers is 100% real dairy cheese, making them unsuitable for vegans. The cheese is combined with wheat flour, vegetable oil, skim milk, salt, and spices to create the distinctive flavour and texture of Cheez-It crackers.
The Green & Green Company, founded by Weston Green in Dayton, Ohio, in 1907, first introduced Cheez-It crackers to the market on March 31, 1921. The company initially produced a variety of baked goods, including crackers and cookies, and during World War I, they supplied the US military with 6.5 million pounds of hardtack, a cracker-like bread.
In 1921, Green & Green Company introduced Cheez-It crackers, which quickly became popular. The crackers were originally marketed as a "baked rarebit", a dish of melted cheese over toast, and the company emphasised the use of real cheese in their product. This emphasis on the authenticity of the cheese has continued to the present day, with Kellogg's launching an ad campaign in 2010 to reinforce the message that Cheez-Its contain real cheese.
While cheese is a key ingredient in Cheez-It crackers, it is important to note that it is not the dominant ingredient. The ingredient list reveals that flour and vegetable oil are present in higher quantities than cheese. Additionally, the orange tint of Cheez-Its is not solely due to the cheese content but is enhanced by the addition of annatto extract colour, a natural food dye, and paprika, which also contributes to the iconic flavour.
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The crackers are not vegan
Cheez-It crackers are made with real cheese, but they are not vegan. This is because, in addition to containing 100% real cheese, the crackers also contain annatto extract colour, a natural food dye, and skim milk. While the cheese is the primary ingredient in the crackers, flour and vegetable oil are also present in larger quantities.
The crackers were first introduced in 1921 by the Green & Green Company, a Dayton, Ohio-based cracker manufacturer. The company marketed the snack as a "baked rarebit", a dish of melted cheese over toast. The distinct orange tint of the crackers is due to the presence of both cheese and added ingredients like annatto extract and paprika.
In 2010, Kellogg's launched an ad campaign to emphasise that the "`cheez`" in Cheez-It crackers is, in fact, real cheese. This was likely in response to the common assumption that the orange hue of the crackers is solely due to cheese, when in reality, added ingredients also contribute to the colour.
The full list of ingredients in Cheez-It crackers includes wheat flour, vegetable oil, cheese, skim milk, salt, and spices. While cheese is a primary ingredient, it is important to note that the crackers are not vegan due to the presence of dairy products.
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The cheese is not the dominant ingredient
Cheez-It crackers are made with real cheese, but it is not the dominant ingredient. The crackers are made with wheat flour, vegetable oil, cheese, skim milk, salt, and spices. The cheese used is made with skim milk, except for the White Cheddar Cheez-It crackers, which are made with full-fat milk.
While the cheese in Cheez-It crackers is real, it is not the primary ingredient. The ingredient list confirms that the flour and vegetable oil in each cracker outweigh the cheese content. This is in contrast to competitors such as Goldfish Crackers, which list cheese as the second ingredient after flour, and before vegetable oil.
The orange tint of the crackers is only partially derived from the cheese. The colour is enhanced by the addition of annatto extract, a natural food dye. The other ingredient responsible for the iconic Cheez-It colour is paprika, which is also included in the recipe.
In 2010, Kellogg's launched an ad campaign to emphasise that the "'cheez' in Cheez-It crackers is, in fact, real cheese". However, despite the marketing, cheese is not the main ingredient in the crackers.
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The orange colour comes from annatto extract and paprika
Cheez-It crackers are made with 100% real cheese, as confirmed by the manufacturer and various sources. The crackers are made with wheat flour, vegetable oil, cheese, skim milk, salt, and spices. While cheese is not the dominant ingredient in the cracker, it is one of the primary ingredients.
The orange colour of Cheez-It crackers is due to a combination of annatto extract and paprika. Annatto extract is a natural food dye that enhances the colour of the cheese. The paprika also contributes to the iconic flavour of the crackers.
Paprika is a signature spice in the original-flavoured Cheez-It cracker, and it is also present in some of the other flavours, such as Cheez-It Cheddar Jack. The combination of annatto extract and paprika gives the crackers their distinctive orange tint, which some consumers associate with the real cheese contained in the product.
The manufacturer, Kellogg's, launched an ad campaign in 2010 to emphasise that the "cheez" in Cheez-It crackers is, in fact, real cheese. This campaign aimed to assure consumers that the product contains a genuine dairy product. The cheese used in Cheez-It crackers is made with skim milk, except for the White Cheddar variety, which uses full-fat milk.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Cheez-Its are made with 100% real cheese. However, cheese is not the dominant ingredient in the cracker, as flour and vegetable oil are listed before it in the ingredients.
All Cheez-It crackers use cheese made with skim milk, except for the White Cheddar Cheez-It crackers, which use full-fat milk.
In addition to cheese, Cheez-Its are made with wheat flour, vegetable oil, skim milk, salt, and spices.
