Randy Chandler
Government cheese was a product of the US government's milk price support programs. It was distributed to low-income families, welfare beneficiaries, food stamp recipients, and the elderly receiving Social Security. The cheese was coloured orange and was made from a blend of different types of cheese, including Cheddar, Colby, curds, and granular cheese. It also contained emulsifiers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Colour | Orange |
| Texture | Similar to Velveeta |
| Flavour | Similar to American cheese |
| Ingredients | A blend of cheese types and other ingredients, such as emulsifiers |
| Cheese types | Cheddar, Colby, cheese curd, or granular cheese |
| Nutritional value | Questioned |
| Nutritional concerns | Linked to obesity |
| Origin of ingredients | Food surpluses stockpiled by the government |
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What You'll Learn
Government cheese was made from a variety of cheese types, including cheddar, colby, curds, and granular cheese
Government cheese was made from stockpiled dairy products, which were part of milk price support programs for farmers enacted in the 1930s. It was also made from kosher products and distributed to victims of natural disasters.
During the Second World War, the UK government restricted the sale of cheese to a particular type of cheddar, which was known as "government cheddar". This was phased out after the war ended.
In the US, government cheese became available in the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan ordered the distribution of 560 million pounds of government-stockpiled cheese. It was distributed to welfare beneficiaries, food stamp recipients, and the elderly receiving Social Security, as well as to food banks and churches.
Government cheese has become a symbol of American innovation and industrialisation, but its nutritional value has been questioned. It has been argued that people in poverty, who were entitled to government cheese, were more likely to become obese.
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It was coloured orange
Government cheese was coloured orange. It was distributed to low-income families through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program. The cheese was nominally removed in the 1990s when the dairy market stabilised.
The cheese was made from a variety of cheese types and other ingredients, such as emulsifiers, blended together. It may have been made of any of Cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, cheese curd, or granular cheese.
The orange colour was likely due to the mixture of Colby and Cheddar with curds and emulsifiers. This combination was patented by James L. Kraft of Illinois in 1916, allowing for the mass production of his famous orange cheese "product". It became enormously popular during the first half of the 20th century and was cheap, shipped easily, and had a long shelf life.
Government cheese has become a symbol of American innovation and industrialisation. However, the nutritional value of the cheese has been questioned, and it has been argued that people in poverty, who were entitled to government cheese, are more likely to become obese.
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It was distributed to low-income families
Government cheese was distributed to low-income families through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program. It was also given to welfare beneficiaries, food stamp recipients, and the elderly receiving Social Security in the United States, as well as to food banks and churches.
The cheese was coloured orange and was nominally removed in the 1990s when the dairy market stabilised. It was made of a variety of cheese types and other ingredients, such as emulsifiers, blended together. It may have been made of Cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, cheese curd, or granular cheese. Some government cheese was made of kosher products.
Government cheese was often made from food surpluses stockpiled by the government as part of milk price support programs. Butter was also stockpiled and then provided under the same program. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan ordered the distribution of 560 million pounds (250,000 metric tons) of government-stockpiled cheese.
Government cheese has become a symbol for American innovation and industrialization, but the nutritional value of the cheese has been questioned. It has been argued that people in poverty, such as those entitled to government cheese, are more likely to become obese.
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Government cheese was nominally removed in the 1990s
Government cheese was coloured orange and was made from a variety of cheese types and other ingredients, such as emulsifiers, blended together. It may have been made from Cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, cheese curd, or granular cheese. It was similar to the famous 'Kraft' cheese product, which was a mixture of Colby and Cheddar with curds and emulsifiers.
The cheese was often from food surpluses stockpiled by the government as part of milk price supports. Some government cheese was made of kosher products. It was distributed to victims of natural disasters following a state of emergency declaration.
Government cheese became an important topic for the press in the 1980s, when the press learned about the milk products that were being stored across the nation while millions of Americans felt food insecurity. During the same time, President Ronald Reagan's administration cut the budget on the US federal food stamp program. Reagan ordered the distribution of 560 million pounds (250,000 metric tons) of government-stockpiled cheese.
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It was stockpiled by the government as part of milk price supports
Government cheese was made of a variety of cheese types and other ingredients, such as emulsifiers, blended together. It may have been made of Cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, cheese curd, or granular cheese. It was coloured orange and was distributed to low-income families through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program.
Government cheese was nominally removed in the 1990s when the dairy market stabilised. However, it was stockpiled by the government as part of milk price supports. This began in the 1930s, as part of price support programs for farmers. The stockpiled cheese was then distributed to welfare beneficiaries, food stamp recipients, and the elderly receiving Social Security in the United States, as well as to food banks and churches.
During the 1980s, the press learned about the milk products that were being stored across the nation while millions of Americans felt food insecurity. This was at the same time as President Ronald Reagan's administration cut the budget on the US federal food stamp program. Reagan ordered the distribution of 560 million pounds (250,000 metric tons) of government-stockpiled cheese.
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Frequently asked questions
Government cheese was made of a variety of cheese types and other ingredients, such as emulsifiers, blended together. It may have been made of Cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, cheese curd, or granular cheese.
Government cheese was coloured orange.
Government cheese was created as part of milk price support programs for farmers enacted in the 1930s. The US government began to stockpile dairy products, which were then distributed to low-income families through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program.
Government cheese was distributed to welfare beneficiaries, food stamp recipients, and the elderly receiving Social Security in the United States, as well as to food banks and churches.
Government cheese was nominally removed in the 1990s when the dairy market stabilized.
