Cheese Database

Government cheese vs Velveeta

Government cheese, field guide plate
Government cheese, photographed

Government cheese

Facts

Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Processed
Rind
No rind
Country
United States

Government cheese is a commodity cheese from the United States, made and held under federal dairy programs rather than sold as a farmhouse wheel. It is a pasteurized process cheese in the American style, formed into large unsliced blocks with plain labels. The point was to turn surplus milk into a food that could be stored and then given out. It slices and melts, which is what those programs needed. It is not a named regional cheese, and it has no rind.

Velveeta, field guide plate
Velveeta, photographed

Velveeta

Facts

Texture
Semi-soft
Type
Processed
Rind
No rind
Country
United States

Velveeta is an American brand of pasteurized prepared cheese product. Kraft sells it as a loaf that slices when cold and melts into a smooth sauce when heated. It is not a traditional cheese with a rind, a cave, or a farm name. The recipe uses dairy ingredients, but the loaf is made to melt more evenly than a firm aged cheese. Shoppers find it in the dairy case across the United States.