Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support:

I was waiting in line to buy lunch at the soup and baked potato bar downstairs from my office today. They have delicious, healthy soups, and I especially like the lentil option. I ordered soup and a baked potato and the server asked: “Would you like cheese on your soup?” No thanks. “Would you like cheese on your baked potato?” A little, please. She measured out a cup of grated cheese and was about to pour it on the potato when I stopped her. One cup of grated cheddar cheese is 440 calories and 36 grams of fat, 20 grams of which are saturated fat. That’s more saturated fat than is recommended for most people for three or four days! No wonder that about 80% of saturated fat in the American diet comes from cheese products.

Given the many health risks associated with saturated fat, you would think that companies would be looking at ways to decrease the cheese content of their food products or restaurant items. But, in fact, completely the opposite is true.

A recent article in the New York Times called attention to an organization called Dairy Management, created by the United States Department of Agriculture, works with companies to help them incorporate more cheese in their products. Dairy Management worked with Dominos to create pizzas with 40% more cheese. Consumers love the cheesier pizzas and sales for Dominos have soared.

Americans now eat an average of 33 pounds of cheese a year, nearly triple the 1970 rate. The government’s anti-obesity campaign is recommending that Americans eat less cheese, yet the Dairy Management branch of the government is working hard to increase cheese consumption.

This contradiction is evident in so many ways. Dairy Management helped spearhead Pizza Huts campaign to put cheese in the crust of the pizza as well. Yet, USDA’s nutritional brochures recommend asking for half the cheese on a pizza when you eat out.

Dairy Management has also worked with large companies to increase the use of cheese in processed foods and home cooking. The Agriculture Department has reported a 5% to 16% increase in sales of cheese snacks in stores where Dairy Management has helped grocers reinvent their dairy aisles. They encourage displaying a variety of sliced, shredded and cubed cheese products, along with easy recipes for dishes that use more cheese.

Dairy Management documents show that they are targeting families who care more about eating cheese than about their concern for the health risks of large quantities of saturated fat. Dairy Management reports to congress how well they are doing based on millions of pounds of cheese served. They recently reported that they helped generate a “cheese sales growth of nearly 30 million pounds.”

Small amounts of low fat cheese are a delicious addition to a healthy diet. I enjoy an ounce of low fat cheddar on my salad. And a small amount of cheese goes a long way on pizza when you load it up with tomato sauce and veggies too.  But it can be difficult to keep the cheese in check when we are surrounded by cheese-laden food products. It’s helpful for me to remember that the Dairy Management does not have my health in mind. I was thinking about the Dairy Management when the gal with the cup of cheese was about to destroy the health benefits of my baked potato. Are you watching out for cheese overload?