7 Fast Food Chains That Don’t Use Real Cheese

When you go to a fast food restaurant for sandwiches or burgers, most of us can’t skip a slice (or squeeze) of yellow, melted American cheese. There’s something about the creamy texture that hits the spot. What you may not realize, however, is that so-called “cheese” is not what you think. Not technically, anyway.

The US Food and Drug Administration classifies this product and many others as a “cheese food”. According to the agency, American cheese is actually a “pasteurized processed cheese.” To be labeled as real cheese, a product must have a minimum of 51% real cheese by total weight, and the average American slice doesn’t do much better.

“Real cheese is made with four ingredients: milk, culture, rennet and salt,” explains the award-winning cheesemaker. Allison Lakinowner of Cheese from Maine’s Lakin Gorge. “Processed cheese may contain some real cheese, but then it has additives that make it more shelf-stable and meltier, and it costs a lot less than real cheese.”

Lakin notes, “If you’re only exposed to the flavors of processed cheddar or Swiss, then the complexities and variations in the flavor of real cheese can come as a surprise, as not all cheddar and Swiss cheeses taste the same.”

But just because it’s not the genuine article doesn’t necessarily mean you should skip this topping. “Sometimes, nothing hits the spot like that melted Kraft single,” says Lakin.

Many fast food chains use so-called cheesy food because it stays fresher longer and melts better with additions like cornstarch. Next, we look at the chains that use this product to give their sandwiches that desirable, if not entirely authentic, melty topping.

McDonald’s

That tasty, melty slice on your Big Mac, is it real cheese? Well, it’s listed on McDonald’s website like pasteurized processed American cheese. What does this mean? Conformable The Independentwho conducted in-depth research into what makes some of the chain’s popular menu items, the ingredients in Mickey D’s slices are: milk, cream, water, cultured cheese, sodium citrate and 2% or less salt , citric acid, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid (preservative), lactic acid, acetic acid, enzymes, sodium pyrophosphate, natural flavor, added color and soy lecithin. Ingredients such as sodium phosphate and lactic acid are added to preserve freshness and are FDA approved for use in food.

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Burger King

This chain seems to use real cheese on some of its sandwiches and not others. To be honest, restaurant website isn’t particularly forthcoming about the specifics of the ingredients in any of its menu items, but sandwiches like the Whopper and Bacon Double Cheeseburger list American cheese, which according to FDA standards isn’t considered “real cheese.” Current specialties like Cheesy Tots are listed as “filled with melted cheese,” which seems curious. However, Bacon and Swiss Royal Crispy Chicken use Swiss cheese, which should qualify as real cheese.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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Sonic drive-in

There’s a lot to love about the classic American fare you can get at Sonic, like cheese tots and Bacon Double Cheeseburgers, but once again, this is another chain that isn’t exactly transparent about the origins of its cheese. Anything listed is called “processed cheese” or “American cheese,” suggesting that cheese sandwiches and sides are actually processed cheese food. Some dishes, like Chili Cheese Groovy Friesstate that they’re topped with shredded cheddar cheese, so if you’re looking for real cheese, check the menu closely.

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Tim Hortons

The Canadian chain mainly deals in coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Conformable chatelainethe restaurant’s breakfast sandwiches are made with processed cheese by default, but you can customize and switch to real cheddar for a healthier breakfast option. It’s worth noting that processed cheese often has much more sodium than traditionally made cheese.

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Dairy Queen

DQ is famous for its frozen desserts and American fast food classics, but the ingredients aren’t always so healthy. For example, the menu specifically mentions “shakes” instead of “milkshakes” for a reason. The frosty drinks are made with “Reduced Fat Artificial Vanilla Flavored Ice Cream” which, according to the proper definition, is not real ice cream. Similarly, most of the cheese on the menu is processed cheese. The menu is transparent about this, with a tiny asterisk on the cheeseburger description noting that the topping is American processed.

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from Arby’s

Arby’s delicious cheese dip is a favorite topping and is the backbone of the Classic Beef ‘n’ Cheddar sandwich. The sauce contains real cheddar, but is the fourth ingredient listed, after water, canola oil and modified cornstarch. The the brand’s official website it’s not clear what percentage of cheese is in this sauce, but it also contains a lot of other ingredients, including maltodextrin, sodium phosphate, and mono- and diglycerides. Arby’s also uses processed American cheese for a number of other items, including some breakfast sandwiches and wraps.

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Bojangles

This Southern chain doesn’t use cheese as a topping on most of its menu items. However, it serves a side of creamy mac ‘n’ cheese that includes cheese of questionable origins. The the chain’s website doesn’t go into detail what are the ingredients in the noodle dish but an independent consumer website claims to be a combination of liquid cheese processed with whey, modified food starch and sodium phosphate.