processed cheese

American  

Or process cheese

noun

1. a mass-produced product made of one or more types of cheeses that have been heated and mixed with emulsifiers, colorings, flavorings, etc., primarily to retard spoilage and enhance spreadability at reduced cost.

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Etymology

Origin of processed cheese

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Kraft Heinz said Tuesday it’s recalling more than 83,000 cases of individually-wrapped Kraft Singles American processed cheese slices because part of the wrapper could stick to the slice and become a choking hazard.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2023

Mature cheeses are more expensive and processed cheese least expensive.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2023

A worker moves a trolley loaded with packed processed cheese during a media tour to Amul satellite dairy in Khatraj village, located in the western Indian state of Gujarat June 29, 2011.

From Reuters • Apr. 11, 2022

“With this decision, you can make a little cheese, a big cheese, a hard cheese, a processed cheese — and you can give the name ‘gruyère’ for all types of cheese.”

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2022

Around dinnertime he opened his refrigerator and discovered there was nothing to eat but three individually wrapped slices of Kraft processed cheese.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen