Velveeta celebrates 80 years with Kraft

This week in the Capsule, we commemorate an 80th wedding anniversary — that of the 1928 marriage between Velveeta Cheese and Kraft Foods.

Miss Cheese was not an actual cheese, but Mr. Kraft knew it and minded not at all. The union has endured, although Velveeta’s stature has suffered in recent years. 

Velveeta came into the world in 1918, the concoction of a New York cheese maker looking for something to do with left-over whey and other mysterious ingredients.

The product sold well and became a separate company. Then in 1928, the Kraft proposal was accepted.  

Kraft marketed his Velveeta nationwide, and soon it was available right here in Montgomery County.

For decades, sandwiches and macaroni were made with Velveeta, often referred to as “Real Kraft Cheese.”

There was a memorable advertising line that went: “Colby, Jack and Cheddar Mixed all Together.” 

This was accurate, as they dumped the whey from all three into the Velveeta vat.

The “Real Cheese” marketing was misleading, and complaints caused Velveeta to be called a “cheese food.”  

This lasted for a time, but the picky Food and Drug Administration requires a product to actually contain cheese in order to be so labeled. That brought on another change.  

Velveeta is now a “cheese product,” a category defined in terms so vague it could include a lactating goat.    

Velveeta tends to be publicly scorned. Upscale yuppies sneer; snooty chefs scoff, even deny knowing what it is. And shoppers looking for healthy diets go for actual cheese.

Velveeta, some would have us believe, is to cheese what Spam is to meat. They accuse Velveeta of being made with the same process and ingredients, as latex paint. They point out that a brick of Velveeta is shiny, like plastic wrap, and therefore must be.

All this hurts sales.

Business reports indicate that even an unending stream of recipe contests has not prevented a decline.  

A recently published article on consumer preferences claims that 80 percent of Velveeta is sold to about 10 percent of the population, implying that only a small percentage of people would stoop so low.

I don’t believe it. 

I think if the truth was known, a good many organic yuppies have a box of Velveeta tucked behind their granola. 

I’d bet Emeril Lagasse grew up on Velveeta grilled cheeses, and probably still sneaks a little into his private fondues.  

Paris Hilton has admitted feeding Velveeta cubes to her poodle, so might we suspect she’s popped a few herself? 

And believe me, if the health-conscious shopper would compare the fat content of cheddar cheese with that of Velveeta, he or she might be a bit surprised.

We like Velveeta. It tastes good, melts nicely.  It’s versatile — goes well on apple pie, hamburgers, or on a slice of warn Swedish rye.

Kids eat vegetables with Velveeta they wouldn’t otherwise, or at least they eat the cheesy stuff on top. 

We all remember school lunch tuna patties that were made palatable only by the slice of Velveeta.  

OK, almost palatable.

So happy 80th anniversary, Kraft and Velveeta.  

I hope you have many more.