Velveeta

Velveeta is a brand name for a cheese analogue similar to American cheese. It was invented in 1918 by Emil Frey of the Monroe Cheese Company in Monroe, New York. In 1923, The Velveeta Cheese Company was incorporated as a separate company.[1] In 1925, it advertised two varieties, Swiss and American.[2] The firm was purchased by Kraft Foods Inc. in 1927.[3]

Not to be confused with Belvita.

Velveeta
Product typeCheese analogue
OwnerKraft Heinz
Produced byKraft Foods
CountryU.S.
Introduced1918 (1918)
Previous owners
Websitemyfoodandfamily.com/velveeta

Overview

In the 1930s, Velveeta became the first cheese product to gain the American Medical Association's seal of approval.[4] It was reformulated in 1953 as a "cheese spread",[4] but as of 2002, Velveeta is labeled in the United States as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product".[5][6]

The name Velveeta was intended to connote a "velvety smooth" edible product.[7] Smoothness and melting ability are promoted as properties that result from reincorporating the whey with the curd. The brand has been expanded into a line of products including cheesy bites, macaroni and cheese, and cheesy skillets.

Ingredients
Nutritional info
Other namesPasteurized Recipe Cheese Product
Source of milkCow
TextureSoft and creamy
Fat content21%
Protein content18%

Kraft Foods lists Velveeta's ingredients as: milk, water, whey, milk protein concentrate, milkfat, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, and 2% or less of salt, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid, sodium citrate, sodium alginate, enzymes, apocarotenal, annatto, and cheese culture.[8]

Classification as a pasteurized prepared cheese product

In 2002, the FDA issued a warning letter to Kraft that Velveeta was being sold with packaging that falsely described it as a "pasteurized process cheese spread",[9] The product listed milk protein concentrate (MPC) in its ingredients, which meant it no longer fit any of the FDA's cheese-related definitions. Velveeta is now sold in the US as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product",[10] a term not defined by the FDA.

Marketing and advertising

Kraft Foods has marketed Velveeta as an ingredient for chile con queso and grilled cheese sandwiches.[11][12] It is currently sold in the United States, Canada, Panama, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and South Korea. In the 1930s and 1940s, it was sold in the United Kingdom and Germany as "Velveta".[13]

In the 1980s, Velveeta used the advertising jingle, "Colby, Swiss and Cheddar, blended all together" in its US television commercials to explain its taste and texture because real cheese was used in the product at that time.[14]

See also

References
  1. “New Incorporations,” New York Times, 15 February 1923 (10,000 preferred shares, 20,000 common shares).
  2. "Everybody Says It's the Finest Cheese in the World (Velveeta/Monroe advertisement)." Goshen (NY) Independent Republican, 9 June 1925.
  3. "Monroe." Middletown (NY) Times Herald, 21 November 1927 ("recently purchased").
  4. Velveeta Brand History, Accessed December 23, 2010.
  5. "14 Cheesy Facts About Velveeta". April 6, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  6. Michael H. Tunick (November 27, 2013). The Science of Cheese. Oxford University Press. pp. 161–. ISBN 978-0-19-992231-4.
  7. Geiling, Natasha. "There is No Shortage of History When it Comes to Velveeta". smithsonianmag.com. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  8. "Products".
  9. WARNING LETTER CHI-6-03, U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Kraft Foods North America, Inc. December 18, 2002. Accessed February 9, 2010.
  10. "What Is 'Real Kraft Cheese'?", Chicago Business, February 5, 2007. Accessed February 3, 2008.
  11. "Kraft Foods". Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  12. "Kraft Foods". Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  13. "Ciao! price comparison site". Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  14. "Velveeta Cheese Spread (YouTube)". YouTube. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
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