Kraft says Velveeta running low; fans warn of 'cheesepocalypse'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Barbara Soderlin

Call it a tempest in a Crock-Pot.

A report Tuesday that Kraft Foods may be running short on Velveeta cheese just as the nation enters prime Super Bowl party queso-dip-making time had Twitter fans warning of a “cheesepocalypse.”

The supposed shortage could spill over into Omaha-based ConAgra Foods’ plans to market its Ro-Tel diced tomatoes, a key ingredient in a queso recipe co-marketed by Kraft and ConAgra in a rare collaboration between competitors.

But ConAgra didn’t comment Tuesday on whether the concern could mean fewer sales, if the Velveeta shortage is widespread, or more sales, if the panic sends people to the stores in droves to pick up Ro-Tel along with what they fear could be the last box of the yellow cheese product.


FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20140107/MONEY/140109190/1685#kraft-says-velveeta-running-low-fans-warn-of-cheesepocalypse

[Gore1FL]

1. Citizens forced to consider real cheese as a crap substitute!

[Niceguy1]

22. its poor mans cheese

But makes great mac and cheese

[ronnie624]

64. The real thing is less expensive. n/t

[Niceguy1]

71. you can't get a 2 lb brick

Of unprocessed cheddar cheese for $5.88 or less

[independentpiney]

104. Where?

I've never seen unprocessed cheddar at any local grocers here in Florida or where I lived in NJ. The cheapest I ever see cheddar for is around 3.50/lb.

[HappyMe]

88. I use it when I make mac & cheese.

I like creamy mac & cheese, not the kind you can slice up like cake.

I put in cheddar and pepperjack too.

[Niceguy1]

94. I know what I am making

This weekend lol

[HappyMe]

95. Yup.

The ingredients are going on the grocery list right now.

[tammywammy]

100. Have you seen the Patti Labelle mac & cheese recipie?

Over the Rainbow mac & cheese. It has sharp and mild cheddar, Munster, pepper jack, velvetta. It's super fattening definitely not something regular to make, but I've made it for potlucks and heated it up in the crockpot. Super delicious.

[HappyMe]

101. Hmm..I'll have to give it a try.

[freshwest]

112. And the shelf life is great! Not being sarcastic, but it's not really *good* for us...

I used to make it with the Ro-Tel for people to have with corn chips, carrot and celery sticks, etc. Every so often I'll break down and buy a case of Ro-Tel to add to stews and soups.



OMG!!! I don't have any Velveeta!

[Cleita]

2. Whatever will I use for mortar now? n/t

[louis-t]

25. Haaa!!

[CFLDem]

3. I smell marketing ploy. nt

[charlyvi]

4. I smell the putrid stench of Velveeta!

Sorry, not a fan.

[CFLDem]

7. Ditto

[Brother Buzz]

9. Especially when you consider there is no shortage of the 2 lb boxes

[GP6971]

30. Agree. And they didn't

disguise it very well

[penultimate]

114. It will work too, because people are duuuuumb.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Hype and Mind Control

This is as bad as Bill Clinton's "Bad Hair Day"

and Y2K Fears to spike generator sales.

Will the public ever figure out they are being conned?

[adirondacker]

92. I wonder if they got their snake oil from these guys...

[Ash_F]

6. "cheesepocalypse"....

What a horrible way to go.

[RandiFan1290]

8. Looks like a bullshit marketing campaign to me

Get all the sheep running to the store to stock up on their slimy bread before the circus.

[Cha]

27. Good one.

[MisterP]

58. now known as the "Sciracha Gambit"?

[Gothmog]

10. I will believe this when I see Costco discontinue carrying this product

I was at Costco last week and there was a good supply on a pallet.

[AAO]

11. Oh, this is so priceless!

[Beacool]

12. Velveeta????

Who eats that crap?

[tammywammy]

23. Crockpot of Velveeta and Rotel is a standard party queso.

I don't know anyone that doesn't eat that.

[niyad]

38. people who are allergic to plastic, perhaps? people who prefer real food?

you don't know me, but, believe me, I do NOT eat that swill.

[Aerows]

41. I detest Rotel

and I'm not fond of Velvetta, so no, I stay away from that LOL!

[Beacool]

44. I can honestly say that I don't think that I've ever had that dip.

Although I have eating Velveeta on one or two occasions. Ditto for Rotel.

[tammywammy]

46. I find that surprising.

I've seen that type of queso my whole life at all kinds of parties. Sure not a formal sit down, but all casual get togethers, potlucks, etc. It's very common.

[Beacool]

47. I haven't even seen it at church potlucks.

Maybe it's because different regions have different eating habits? Now, if you ask me about onion dip made with Lipton onion soup and sour cream, that I've eaten my fair share. LOL!!!

[tammywammy]

48. Maybe so.

The last work day before our holiday break we did an office "bring in snacks" and had a lot of different things including Velveeta Rotel queso.

[Beacool]

55. No self respecting yuppie would bring that to an office party.

An assortment of cheeses, crackers and fruit? yes. A Velveeta dip? hell to the no.



I work for a Fortune 100, the company provided the holiday parties (too many offices and employees throughout the NY region for one party). We also had a department luncheon. Additionally, every year on Dec. 24 they have a big breakfast. Employees can bring their children and they have games and Santa comes with gifts for the kids. By 1 PM all the offices nationwide close.

Then there's the baskets and boxes of food that clients send. Stuff is still arriving.

December is a month of endless food. January is back to the reality of salad for lunch.

[tammywammy]

66. I'm also at a Fortune 100 company.

Not full of yuppies, I guess.



There are maybe 20 people in the building I work in though. No family events except every few years due to security issues. If it was a formal company party food is provided, but a casual office/program potluck, someone always brings queso.

[Beacool]

70. Well, you convinced me.

I'm going to have to try it.

[Tanuki]

77. Whole lotta Velveeta recipes on Pinterest.....

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=velveeta%20recipes&rs=ac&len=4

[Beacool]

115. Thank you for the link.

[HappyMe]

89. I use some good salsa instead of the Rotel.

I have put some chili (no beans) into the queso also. Pretty damn good.

[progressoid]

53. Guilty pleasure.

I don't use Rotel though. Salsa. Mmmmm

[Atman]

81. Never, ever. And I'm almost 55.

We must hang in different circles. I've never seen it, never eaten it, and there is no force on earth which would compel me to purchase Velveeta manufactured cheese-like product. I do, however, recall having RoTel tomatoes in the cupboard at one time. Not sure how they got there.

[anasv]

85. grilled cheese sandwiches

illegal unless made with Velveeta and white bread.

[crim son]

103. Right here!

I've never been that hungry.

[Gormy Cuss]

105. I'm guessing it popular in some parts of the country but not others.

Not New England, for example.

[MyNameGoesHere]

54. Hm I imagine

6 children living just above the poverty line that never learned what smug meant. But other than that I don't know.

[Beacool]

56. Velveeta is not real cheese.

It's processed junk food. There are healthier things that those "6 children" could eat.

[MyNameGoesHere]

57. Yeah but hey

we didn't have the gumption to ask our parents "Hey who eats this crap?" or tell our grandmother, who used it quite a lot to feed everyone on Sunday get together, it was crap. I suppose now that I can buy or make, whatever the hell I want, I sure would never turn up my nose at someone who serves it to me. It isn't the worst thing in the world to eat. And to tell you the truth the mac and cheese it made for me never tasted better. Now if you're done with your judgments why don't you have a nice piece of your superior cheese and have a great morning.

[Beacool]

60. I think that Velveeta is not a good product.

That doesn't mean that I was putting your family down.

[OKNancy]

75. It is processed, but it is no more unhealthy than any other cheese. n/t

[htuttle]

13. You don't want to lay out a Super Bowl spread that involves Velveeta in any way up here in Wisconsin

Dude...just don't.

Unless you're talking about spraying your driveway with it to melt the snow. That's cool.

[onehandle]

14. Cheese 'Product.'

That ain't cheese.

[Aerows]

17. Cheese food

They have to tell you it's food for you to know the difference between it and something that isn't food.

[louis-t]

26. Cheese food spread product subsitute....

I call it.

[Tanuki]

15. Thanks a LOT, Obama!!! n/t

[MoonchildCA]

59. LOL

Anytime I complain about anything, my husband says, "What's Obama gonna do about it?"

[Aerows]

16. "Processed cheese food"

If it has to specify that it is food on the label, I'm pretty sure it is so far from being actual food that it skates the line that it is!

[xfundy]

18. Publicity stunt.

And mindless consumers, once known as "citizens," panic and hoard that recipe for a heart attack, ready to defend it with guns.

[IADEMO2004]

19. Colorado Munchies is the culprit.

I80 is choked with Velveeta trucks going to feed the "Rocky mountain Highs"

or not

[Kali]

31. !

[workinclasszero]

83. Bingo!

[SoapBox]

20. It's...it's...

PEOPLE!

[Blue Owl]

21. What fresh hell this Velveeta is

[pinboy3niner]

24. No whey!

[Aerows]

42. I just knew you'd milk this one.

It rather curdles my sensibilities.

[struggle4progress]

28. ProcessedCheeseProductPocalypse! Oh noes!

[CatholicEdHead]

29. Maybe because it was from moving the plant from MN to IL

It used to be made in New Ulm, MN through the end of 2012 and then moved to Champaign IL. They probably had a drop in production for the move which now is timed with this shortage.

http://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/news_home/Site_News/2012/10/Kraft_retooling_Minnesota_plan.aspx?ID={47FA8AF3-1822-4333-AF87-3DEF6BE0577F}&cck=1

Kraft retooling Minnesota plant
10/30/2012 - by Eric Schroeder
Share This:

NEW ULM, MINN. — A $25 million investment in new equipment infrastructure will lead to the elimination of 90 jobs at Kraft Foods Inc.’s plant in New Ulm. The facility manufactures Velveeta products, Handi-Snacks on-the-go snacks, Deli Deluxe cheese slices, MilkBite milk and granola bars, and sliced and bulk processed cheese for food service customers.

Kraft said the move will result in the loss of the equivalent of 80 full-time hourly positions and 10 salaried positions.

Kraft has been in New Ulm since 1955 and employs 555 at the facility. As part of the restructuring, the plant’s Velveeta production will move to a Kraft plant in Champaign, Ill., and the New Ulm plant will begin making bulk food service cheese that is currently being produced at a Missouri plant that also is changing over its production lines. Additionally, the MilkBite line will be eliminated.

[DJ13]

32. Cheese in a can to the rescue!

[dembotoz]

33. had a ham and cheese omlet last sunday at the local branch of a nathional chain

suspect a fair amount of the velveeta shortage was in that omelet


it was pretty awful

[pinboy3niner]

34. That's okay. I'm out of "wine" anyway. :)

[Aerows]

43. Only the best will do to go with Velvetta

Thunderbird

[SoapBox]

61. Maybe...

Andre...Cold Duck!

...I could puke just thinking about how many times I puked.

[shenmue]

35. No cheese noodles?

We gonna diiiiiiiiie!

[truthisfreedom]

36. Ok in honor of this thread I just tested velveeta

For the first time, at least by my own choice. I had purchased velveeta mac and cheese for a food drive that was going on outside a grocery store over a year ago, but when I got outside they'd moved on, so I brought it home and forgot about it till tonight. It expired last June but I made it anyway. It took 3.5 minutes to cook. My girlfriend and I consider ourselves foodies so I expected nothing good. First impression: faint odor of maple syrup! Weird. We let it set up for 2 minutes per the instructions. First bite, ok, weird nose and a bit too watery. I have to say, despite knowing what the ingredients are because we were reading the package as we ate it, we were astonished at how edible it became with each bite. Conclusion: this is an incredibly marketable product that comes with it's own bowl, gets you fed in about 6 minutes from scratch, and doesn't seem to have terribly poisonous ingredients. I can understand why people fall for Velveeta. It may look like disgusting dark yellow toothpaste but it does not get rejected on the palate!

[rpannier]

37. Another casualty of the Affordable Care Act

If it weren't for Obama and the ACA we'd be swimming in a sea of Velveeta.
Maybe if we all prayed and approved the oil pipeline we might have a chance

[pinboy3niner]

40. The oil pipeline is just a distraction...

...so they can sneak the Velveeta pipeline past us before we realize what's happening.

[Initech]

39. Cheesepacolaypse 2014: Electric Boogaloo Die Harder

[6000eliot]

45. And I'm sure that Kraft's PR department had NOTHING to do with this story.

[rrneck]

49. It ain't easy being cheesy. nt

[SoapBox]

62. Ohhhh....groaner.

[SCVDem]

50. Don't look for this stuff

alongside real cheese. It's not there.

I wonder if this shortage has anything to do with Colorado legalizing weed?

Blame the munchies!

[jmowreader]

51. If you are making a dish that requires melting cheese, Velveeta is better than actual cheese

I have two blocks of cheese in the fridge right now: Tillamook sharp cheddar, for almost everything else, and Velveeta, for mac and cheese. Melting actual cheese without fucking it up is no mean feat, but Velveeta melts easily.

[indie9197]

63. It is easier, yes

But not better. You need to make a Mornay sauce by melting some butter with flour, adding various grated cheeses plus milk. The flour keeps the cheese from separating. The link is for a Martha stewart recipe for mac and cheese that is pretty good.

http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/macaroni-and-cheese-with-mornay-sauce/

[jmowreader]

72. I've done all that, and the cheese just won't melt right

I've even done it in a double boiler.

[Psephos]

67. Yep. Best mac n' cheese evah. But *so* un-pc to admit.

For most, being a bit superior to the lowbrows who buy Velveeta is more important than enjoying the simple pleasure of a good mac n' cheese.

To each their own.

[longship]

52. Thank goodness!

Now can we bring back real Pinconning cheese?

I like it extra sharp.

First, one has to kick Kraft's ass out of the town, so the old cheese making families can make a living for themselves, instead of serving the plastic cheese maker.

Velveeta? That's not cheese.

[The Second Stone]

65. O, the Huge Manatee

will no one think of the coronary arteries that will go unblocked?

[TwilightGardener]

68. My son works in a supermarket. Velveeta is one of the most popular items he sees.

He said that to me last week, and I said, "Yuck, fake plastic cheese? You've got to be kidding me, I'm surprised it's still being made." And then I read this. Color me stunned.

[jmowreader]

73. The true "fake plastic cheese" is the house-brand individually wrapped slices

[TwilightGardener]

93. That stuff's pretty bad, too, you're right.

I don't buy processed cheese very often, but when I do it's Kraft or Borden singles--something made of actual dairy, at least.

[chollybocker]

69. Y'all are just being lactose intolerant...

SAVE THE CHEESE!

[DetlefK]

76. If I like slicing bread with a knife, does that make me gluten-intolerant?

[OKNancy]

74. Ah yes, the food snobs. This isn't the first time Velvetta has been discussed on DU

Velvetta is a good product for what it is. It melts really well and that is why people use it. It's ingredients are "cheese" but they whip in the whey with the curd to make it softer.
ETA: look up the ingredients.. it's not "plastic". The ingredients are much the same as "real" cheese.
Almost all great mac and cheese recipes use it as a base*. You can add fancy cheeses in the sauce.
You can't beat Velvetta for making queso. I don't use Rotel though, I use San Marcos brand jalapenos and sometimes add San Marcos brand chipotle peppers, and a little milk.

* in some contest, Patti LaBelle's mac and cheese recipe was rated #1. Here is her recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/patti-labelles-macaroni-and-cheese-17186

[MADem]

80. It's what used to be called "government cheese" AKA "Welfare Cheese."

Years ago, there was a B-side song in honor of it:

[Gormy Cuss]

106. I don't think they're the same.

The cheese distributed through government surplus food programs was the only cheese I ate for years. I bought Velveeta thinking it was the same stuff (looks the same, just in smaller blocks but Velveeta has a different taste and texture. The USDA cheese was more like a deli chunk of yellow American cheese -- and yes, "American cheese" is cheese food, so it's like Velveeta in that regard.

[MADem]

109. Is the Velveeta more pliable, or something? nt

[Gormy Cuss]

110. I just remember it as tasting blander and having a slightly different texture.

At the time I was disappointed because I thought it would be the same and as others have noted, it's cheap compared to real cheese.

[MADem]

111. Well, the Defense Commissary System isn't running short of the stuff!

I was doing some shopping yesterday and they had a ton of it, in assorted sizes--a little box, a medium box, and a big 'un.

I resisted any temptation to grab the stuff and try it!

[MadrasT]

107. Not the same.

I have eaten quite a lot of Velveeta and also quite a lot of government cheese in my life.

Velveeta is saltier and creamier.

Government cheese is more solid and reminds me of American cheese that we used to buy by the half pound, sliced up at the deli counter in supermarkets.

I like them both.

I quite like "real cheese" too, but won't turn my nose up at either Velveeta or government cheese if it's around.

[MADem]

108. I don't think I've ever knowingly eaten Velveeta....

...but it looks like it's the same size/shape as government cheese, which I have eaten.

The Velveeta is obviously tasty, otherwise they wouldn't sell so much of it.

[bemildred]

78. Wonder bread, Miracle Whip, and Velveeta, the three cornerstones of a balanced diet.

Not!

I do sort of wonder why they didn't call it "Virtual Cheese" or "Improbable Cheese" (given the other names).

But for a kid, that's heaven.

[IADEMO2004]

84. and add a thick slice of Spam to your list

Shit you not, my great aunt used to feed me this.

[bemildred]

96. What's IN that stuff, anyway?

But yeah, I know. When I was young, I'd eat that stuff. Hot dogs, mystery meat. Now, I avoid anything processed.

[Magleetis]

98. It's not real food

Milk, water, milkfat, whey, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate; contains less than 2% of: salt, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid as a preservative, sodium alginate, sodium citrate, enzymes, apocarotenal (color), annatto (color), and cheese culture

[Old Union Guy]

79. RHNB + Velveeta

[Atman]

82. Dehydrate it, powder it, put it in a box with 5 cents worth of elbow macaroni...

And you can sell it for $1.29 as "Kraft Macaroni & Cheese." To this day our oldest son (now 27) won't accept anything else as "real" mac 'n cheese. Sad. We ruined him due to poverty in our younger days.

[carla]

86. This is not news.

This is CORPORATE PROPAGANDA. Remove , please, or risk DU becoming a billboard for this kind of crap. Despicable.

[Javaman]

87. Oh. lord, when will this national horror end?!

"you mights want to just put that block of 'veeta down, ifin' you know what's good fer ya!"

[pinboy3niner]

90. The Mayans prophesied this is how the rise of the Cheezombies begins

[Javaman]

91. First they came for the velveeta and I did nothing...nt

[randome]

99. "Dawn of the Cheese" Followed by "Day of the Cheese."

Followed by: "How much longer you gonna be in there?"
[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[maddogesq]

97. Sorry, but I could not resist.

[librechik]

102. Only in Colorado. And it's Cheetos, not cheese whiz. n/t

[southerncrone]

113. Marketing ploy

Simple economics 101: decrease in supply creates increase in demand, followed by price increase.

Companies are running out of ways to "fool" the public using "slight of hand" price increases like:

• gradually reducing size of pkg (seen the size of some cereal boxes these days?!?!)


• BOGO at jacked up price


• repackaging to confuse customer

Now we have intentional shortage.

Pretty sure we can live w/o fake cheese. I predict the only victims of this "shortage" will be Ro-Tel.