Earlier this week, I decided to surprise my morning show co-host with a charcuterie board for breakfast. I brought in some prosciutto, some grapes, and a big chunk of Parmesan cheese, which I cut into cubes. It didn’t take long for Mary-Katherine to decide that she didn’t like the cheese at all. In her words, “It tastes expensive.” Apparently, she likes a pasteurized cheese product more than she does a quality cheese. I told her, “The next time I’ll just bring in a box of government cheese.”
Saying “government cheese” aloud made me start reminiscing about my childhood. I distinctly remember eating (and loving) government cheese. I couldn’t remember the specifics about where we got it from, so I called my mom. She reminded me that I had some relatives who received it (they qualified because they had a $#@% ton of kids) and they used to share it with us.
As it turns out, that cheese was doled out following Ronald Reagan’s signing of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981. The United States had millions of pounds of cheese stored in warehouses in thirty-five states. See, government cheese dates all the way back to World War II. So, there was a literal stockpile of it. The federal government launched a program to distribute all this warehoused cheese to welfare recipients, senior citizens, and food banks nationwide.
(Hit the 1:42 mark)
Luckily, I had some family members on that distribution list and they were willing to share.
My mom remembers that the blocks of cheese were referred to as “commodities.” That’s because the Commodity Credit Corporation was tasked with storing it. Ronald Reagan signed that Ag and Food Act in December of 1981. In early 1982, distribution of the dairy products- those commodities- began.
I remember a couple of specific things about it. I remember LOVING the taste of it. Thought it looked like a block of Velveeta, it wasn’t soft like that cheese. It was a pretty firm block and it didn’t come sliced. I also remember that the BORING packaging that had exactly ZERO bells and whistles. Remember that?
The cheese came in plain, brown rectangular boxes with big, blue, block lettering that read:
PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE
DONATED BY
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FOR FOOD HELP PROGRAMS
NOT TO BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED
Oops! I am glad my relatives in southern Indiana ignored that ‘exchange’ commandment.
So, what happened to government cheese? I found this video on YouTube that explains.
Honestly, though it was technically ‘welfare’ cheese, it was really good. So, do you remember it? And, did you like it as much as I did?
LOOK: 15 formerly popular foods in America that are rarely eaten todayStacker researched the history of popular foods, from Jell-O salads to Salisbury steak, and highlighted 15 that are no longer widely consumed.
Gallery Credit: Stacker
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