Why Does The US Have A Billion Pound Surplus Of Cheese?
Yet Reagan’s efforts did little to slow down the dairy surplus. It grew to 1.2 billion pounds, notes Atlas Obscura. By 1984, the cheese stores were so high the U.S. had five pounds of cheese per person in storage (via CNBC). In response, the government continued to produce what would soon become known as “government cheese.” Government cheese looks and tastes about as interesting as its name. The blocks of bright yellow, relatively unexciting cheese became staples of American food assistance programs.
Novaković, speaking to CNBC, noted that government cheese had less than charitable purposes. “People talk about food assistance programs as if they were created to help poor people out.” He explained, “that’s true, but almost all of the major food assistance programs were ideas that came from agriculture because we had too much of something.” The term “government cheese” gained fame in pop culture as a symbol of poverty, with references in songs by many artists, including Jay-Z and The Roots. Government cheese made appearances in SNL bits; even comedian and TV host Steve Harvey riffs about the infamous dairy product.
The writer Bobbi Dempsey describes the role of government cheese in his childhood. He says, “It brings back bittersweet feelings. It was a staple of childhood, so there’s a nostalgia about that. But at the same time it’s yet another aspect of life as a poor person that you had no control over,” per CNBC.
..