How do I get my hands on some "Government Cheese"? Thirty years ago, I tasted some government cheese and loved it. It was a rich, yellow cheese with more protein per ounce than most public cheese. How do I get some?
By 'Miss' Bonnie from Denver, CO
I had the free cheese years ago, too! I have been buying "Fields" brand pre-sliced cheese in the 5 pound blocks. They also have it unsliced. I buy the sliced block and it lasts for a month at our house. It is the best and the closest to the govt. kind. They also sell it in 2.5 lb blocks. I get it at IGA, and use to get it at Sav a Lot. Good Luck!
I was told that Land O Lakes American cheese taste like the govt cheese. I tried it, it was pretty darn close.
You CAN buy the cheese! It is made by Land O' Lakes and is called easy melt american cheese. It's for sale on Amazon, but it comes in big long blocks like the old days.
Land O Lakes American Yellow Process Cheese Slice 5 Pound
$32.05 - Foodservicedirect.com
No tax
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How can I purchase surplus government cheese? Land O'Lakes has some in 5 pound blocks (with a purchase of 5 blocks) called cheese melt. Thank you.
The question was never answered about where to buy the government cheese. Does anyone have an answer for this?
It is usually given out to the elderly and at food banks. I don't think you can buy it.
It no longer exists in the format that existed from the 1950s to the 1990s--that block of orange stuff that was a cross between Velveeta an American Cheese.
Here is an article about it that claims it may be coming back, but sadly it no longer exists:
Today it is more an euphemism for welfare/food stamps.
That said, many food banks offer cheese products...but they are usually name brand like Kraft, that are donated by grocery stores or other donors.
Blessings!!
That cheese was made from several different manufacturers from surplus materials. It was probably slightly different depending on what region you lived in. From what I have read, we don't have the large surplus of dairy that we did in the 80s when the cheese was given out to needy families. Some people say that the 5 lb. Land 'o Lakes Extra Melt American cheese loaf is similar.
I'm including a few links because I found them interesting.
munchies.vice.com/
en.wikipedia.org/
It has been back for awhile. Seniors get it about 1s a month..
The government still pays money to Dairy Farmers so they will limit their production. They no longer take the excess milk and turn into cheese for the needy. Dairy Farmers pour the excess milk out on the ground
Govt cheese was actually given away with free food last week.
It is back. I work at a food bank that distributes USDA commodities and Dare-to-Care. Our monthly shipment came today and included a large number of the 5 pound blocks of government cheese in boxes if six each.
Where do the seniors get it once a month
That is absolutely aweful. We have people in this country starving to death and our government is paying people to throw milk away??? That sound rather criminal.
Where in this world are they giving out blocks of welfare chese for seniors?
It certainly does exist. The government actually has a 1.4 billion pound stockpile of it that they don't know what to do with as they keep buying surplus milk from dairy farmers and turning it into cheese with no real plan to distribute it to anyone.
This is so sad.
It is still around I was given a huge long block of it in the plastic wrap and then cardboard box just like the one I had when I was a little girl. It was given to me by an older lady who get it from the food pantry in her home town.
That's BS.
Seniors get it? I would like to know where. At the link provided in some of the comments you have to buy a case of 6 at a cost of $157.95.
I just read an article about the government cheese,as of March 21 2019 the U.S goverment has a 1.4 billion pounds of surplus cheese,but is conflicted on donating to U.S citizens because of the obesity factor in Us citizens. Hope this helps
My mother used to get the gov cheese. It was so good. I am 72 yes old now and live of SS. How can I get the cheese from you?
Does it taste like the old government cheese?
That government cheese was around before Reagan was president.
I haven't tried Land O' Lakes yet, but I use Kraft Deli Deluxe. It's in a dark blue package, or at least was the last time I bought it. It's milder than Velveeta, and less salty, and tastes more like real cheese when compared to other processed American Processed cheeses in my opinion.
Those churches Christians hoard the loads of cheese , 5 lb taco meat used in school lunch the freezers are full but they cut the blocks up in 1/4 lb and vacuum seal but all the Christians at the church who volunteer go home with cases of food not cut up and I know this is a fact as a Mexican immigrant volunteers just for that and she has a 700,000 home paid for in Palm Springs , CA renting her unit to illegals ! It makes me so disgusted as I see old fragile elders coming up s as d all the old church ladys stuffing there faces with bananas tell them sorry we are out one day they told a guy give her Al those bananas !
A friend's elderly relative lives in some gov't-subsidized apartment structure in Pennsylvania, and there is a food distribution once a month there. They have those blocks of american-type cheese. I have tried it and it tastes good to me (although I will eat almost anything), But-- my digestive system goes haywire with any dairy, especially too much at once, and since I love to eat it I'm awful about portion control and when she gave me some that she had brought with her when she visited, I was in misery the next couple of days. I still have one block that was already expired when she brought it and has not been refrigerated in all the time since she left Pennsylvania.
