TIL Kraft Foods paid for a research study at Rutgers University to confirm that Velveeta cheese had nutritional benefits, and soon after, the American Medical Association gave Velveeta its stamp of approval, citing that the product had all the necessary nutritional value to build "firm flesh."
  • 174 points district0080

    "Firm flesh"?? Did a serial killer write that research paper?

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    20 points DashofCitrus

    A cannibal.

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    14 points FiveCrappedPee

    "I ate the Velveeta nachos with a nice glass of chianti"

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    13 points themodgepodge

    The study was from 1931, so I could see it being a Depression-era thing. Cheap calories were important for a lot of families then.

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    1 points RoarOfTheWorlds

    Sure but that’s another point. “Firm flesh” is such a psycho way to phrase it.

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    1 points ProletariatLiteracy

    Interesting that they also recommend eating it with fava beans

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  • 97 points Fit-Let8175

    Are there any such studies that say the same about Scotch?

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    41 points ReaditTrashPanda

    There is a clip going around on here that shows bacteria dying from whiskey… gotta be some benefit there

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    15 points ChankiriTreeDaycare

    Next time I get diarrhea I'm boofing some Macallan.

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    7 points gen_bing_bong_chong

    I was not expecting to read that combination of words today

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    4 points aradraugfea

    I know this is in jest, but I want you to know my brain is compiling a list of all the reasons that’s a terrible idea and I am paralyzed by indecision when I try to decide which to bring up first.

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    3 points rutherfraud1876

    So, none. Got it

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    2 points TacTurtle

    Yeah, Everclear is a better option because it has no taste either way!

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    2 points aradraugfea

    foams at mouth

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    2 points milkymaniac

    They said they would be boofing it, it wouldn't necessarily be the mouth that's foaming.

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    1 points External-Cash-3880

    Untrue! Everclear tastes like regret, but you never remember it because the first thing it does is dissolve the parts of your brain that experience regret.

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    2 points ReaditTrashPanda

    You could just get shot and pour whiskey on the wound to clean it… or scotch, I guess

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    1 points veryverythrowaway

    So it would make a great mouthwash…. If it didn’t increase the likelihood of a fungus, like yeast, to take over.

    Unfortunately, there are no studies that have stood up to scrutiny that support any alcohol providing health benefits. I say this a guy who loves scotch and craft beer. It will probably kill me before my time. Oh, well.

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    23 points SappyGilmore

    The tape or beverage?

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    16 points SoldatPixel

    Both. Too much of the beverage may lead to eating the tape out of drunken buffoonery

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    8 points SappyGilmore

    Buffoonery is such a good word.

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    1 points TristeroDiesIrae

    For years, when I have done something dumb and/or awkward in front of other people… My standard response is “I apologize for my buffoonery.“

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    2 points Booster_Goldest

    There was one study that happened with whiskey.

    https://youtu.be/uOyjzE1vcD4

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    2 points its_raining_scotch

    I hope so.

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    1 points thatblkman

    Scotch tape causes me to have rashes. Scotch whisky causes me to have fits of rash behavior.

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    1 points ReferenceMediocre369

    Yes. I've been doing such a study for many years. Preliminary results look good. Especially for the 12 year old varieties, although the 20's are looking good as well.

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  • 51 points Fit_Entry8839

    Thanks for the info. I've been looking for ways to get more firm flesh!

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    15 points SappyGilmore

    Nothing like getting a "Your flesh is so damn firm" compliment from your friends and family.

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    4 points pixeldust6

    Probably wouldn't keep friend status for very long at that rate

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    5 points pedanticPandaPoo

    No need for buns of steel when you got Velveeta ass 

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  • 21 points Nice_Marmot_7

    How firm does one want their flesh to be?

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    16 points littlelordgenius

    I’m an embalmer. Very.

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    8 points SappyGilmore

    I always suspected there were a lot of embalmers on Reddit

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    8 points littlelordgenius

    I mostly just weigh in here and there to dispel funeral falsities, but feel to AMA ;)

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    2 points SappyGilmore

    Thoughts on Steve Ballmer? ;)

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    3 points littlelordgenius

    Haha had to look him up. Worth 146 billion. There’s nothing to think about - evil scumbag.

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    2 points Ducksaucenem

    Ha! Check out ol’ noodley flesh guy over here. Careful you don’t deflate!

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    3 points Nice_Marmot_7

    Fuck, I better go get some Velveeta.

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    1 points Wloak

    It's better than fresh frozen fresh fish (kitchen nightmares reference)

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    1 points Saneless

    Firm enough to not fall apart in the skillet

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  • 13 points Excitable_Grackle

    Having grown up eating that stuff it's my belief that the firmest flesh it helped to build was inside my arteries, along with the less firm type around my waist.

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  • 38 points bmcgowan89

    I'm very pro-Valveeta cheese, so this is good

    And it also explains my toned skin!

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    13 points SappyGilmore

    All other nachos must bow before melted Velveeta nachos. Guaranteed skin toning in every bite

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    5 points Playful_Assistance89

    Must be all that vitamin R.

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    5 points SappyGilmore

    I thought it was Vitamin V?

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    6 points Playful_Assistance89

    Valveeta is made from malk. Which has vitamin R. The R is for rat.

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  • 7 points jreykdal

    Everybody blasting on Velveeta yet nobody is saying why it's particularly bad.

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    5 points pumpkinspruce

    It’s probably not that good for you, nor is it particularly bad. Without looking at the ingredient label, I would guess that its benefits do not outweigh its drawbacks. Probably has some milk, so it does have calcium. I would guess that calories and sodium are probably the “bad” parts of it (as is the case with a lot of ultraprocessed foods). Otherwise it’s probably fairly harmless, so if you have it occasionally it won’t kill you.

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    2 points epikpepsi

    It's ultra-processed which turns a lot of people off of it. And additionally it provides little actual nutritional value while being high in sodium and saturated fat. 

    That being said it's not particularly bad for you, but compared to an actual cheese product it's not good for you either. 

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    1 points Queasy-Thanks-9448

    For me, it's the taste and texture. If I'm going to eat something high calorie and low in redeeming nutrition, I generally want it to be delicious.

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    1 points Tankshock

    Yea it's just so gross and off-putting to me

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    0 points graywalker616

    When people ask me (a European who had to visit the US for work often) what American food I find the least consumable I show them stuff like Velveeta.

    It just doesn’t resemble anything close to normal food, certainly not cheese. You can simply see and taste that it’s hyper processed.

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    -2 points External-Cash-3880

    It just doesn't taste very good.

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    1 points jreykdal

    Never tried it. Not sold here.

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  • 3 points __-_-_--_--_-_---___

    The insides of your coronary arteries are going to be very firm!

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  • 3 points woodsie2000

    Can vouch, it has given me lots of firm flesh

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  • 3 points monkey_trumpets

    Ah yes, Velveeta and cigarettes, every doctor's recommendations for a long, firm life.

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  • 13 points AgentElman

    Almost all research to confirm something does something good is paid for by the company who wants to sell it. They are the ones with the financial interest to do it.

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    18 points ctorg

    As someone who works in science, this is so far from true and such a dangerous, hyperbolic lie to spread. The undermining of faith in the scientific process has caused a lot of deaths and undermined democracies.

    Yes, some studies are corrupt. No, corruption is not widespread within the scientific community (especially compared to other fields). There is a difference between industry research (funded by private companies and conducted at private facilities) and academic research (funded by grants and conducted at universities or public institutions). Using problems with industry research to cast doubt on academic research is harmful (and infuriating to people who spend their lives trying to make the world better through knowledge).

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    6 points SirHerald

    Did they edit their comment after you commented? Because it looks like you're arguing against something they didn't say.

    What I see them saying is that most studies into whether something is beneficial are funded by the company that wants to sell it because they are the ones that have a financial interest and the burden is on them to prove it does what it says.

    The government doesn't have the funds to just go out and randomly test everything that's created to see if it's good. That would be a horrible way of doing it.

    If a company creates a new heart medicine, it's up to them to pay for the testing to prove what it does. Just because the company paid for it does not make the results suspect. Hopefully they used researchers with a proven track record of integrity.

    Consider Underwriters Laboratory. They will add the UL Listed Mark of approval on electrical equipment. They don't just test it for fun. The company that makes the device pays them to test it. If it's fine then it gets the mark of approval. If it's not it shouldn't. If it's not good and it does then UL gets their reputation burned along with your house.

    Getting FDA approval includes fees from companies to supplement the FDA funding from the government. It's not bribery. It's to help cover the costs of the in-depth studies.

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    4 points SirHerald

    So the cheese making process had a lot of imperfectly shaped or broken cheeses. Velveeta was a cheese product made by taking that cheese and reintroducing whey that had been removed from the cheese previously.

    People use Whey for body building all the time now.

    So while it sounds funny that Velveeta would have those benefits, it makes sense that it was worth them paying for studies to prove it. Especially with reputation that's been given to processed cheese.

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    2 points External-Cash-3880

    B-but the sodium salt of citric acid! Muh chemical-free diet!

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    8 points Jimmytowne

    Brawndo, It’s what plants crave!

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  • 2 points SmoovCatto

    "firm flesh"  🍆

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  • 2 points CCV21

    Seems like having to prove that ypur food product has "nutritional value" sounds like you've already lost.

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  • 2 points GuitarGeezer

    Apu: Homer, you weel verrry much like this new snack, it is produced by a petroleum company. Homer: Oooh!

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  • 1 points ramriot

    Does anyone else see "firm flesh" & read rigamortis.

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    1 points ahzzyborn

    That’s one way of putting it 🍆

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  • 1 points OnlyInterpretations

    Rutgers apologies it turns out you do belong in the Big Ten

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  • 1 points Extreme-Piano4334

    I think the French will one day regret not eating Velveeta instead of all that cave rot they enjoy.

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  • 1 points The_Guinea

    Velveeta is possibly the worst food I have ever tasted. I have no idea how people eat that shit. 

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  • 1 points IdealBlueMan

    I believe they changed the formula some years ago, so whatever value this study had no longer applies to the current product.

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  • 1 points Altostratus

    TIL Kraft owns Velveeta. We don’t see that brand much here in Canada (we’re quite KD powder loyalists) and here I was assuming it was a competitor product.

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  • 1 points Contranovae

    We don't hate processed food manufacturing enough

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  • 1 points m0deth

    That's a funny way of saying "It'll harden arteries"

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  • 1 points Didact67

    I’m an American, and I don’t actually know what Velveeta is other than it’s some cheese adjacent product. I know it isn’t where I’d look for cheese in the supermarket.

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  • 1 points pueblodude

    Anything can be bought in today's society.

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    2 points theeggplant42

    That's as may be, but this happened about a century ago

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    -1 points SappyGilmore

    Nobody can buy my favorite pair of underwear

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  • 0 points brickiex2

    From Wikipedia....A "pasteurized prepared cheese product", a term not defined by the FDA"...... I'll pass

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    1 points External-Cash-3880

    It literally is defined by the FDA, though.. In excruciatingly specific chemical detail.

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    1 points brickiex2

    Wow thanks

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  • 0 points jrhooo

    “Did you say your product promotes muscle gain?”

    Indirectly yes.

    “INdirectly?”

    Yes. Calf muscles. Have you ever seen fat guy calves?

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  • 0 points Working_Cucumber_437

    “Firm” is a weird synonym for “flabby”.

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  • -2 points garbage1995

    Velveeta is disgusting.

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  • -17 points KingTootandCumIn_her

    I posted the TIL about Mikey Burnett and they took my post down and are blocking me from posting on here? I have no idea why

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    7 points geofowl66

    Because Mikey was anti Velveeta.

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    2 points MarshyHope

    So he was a monster, got it

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    2 points SappyGilmore

    Mikey also reportedly had a public "meltdown" talking about Cheez Whiz

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    0 points ____Manifest____

    I’m sure it has nothing to do with your stupid, immature username.

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    5 points Fakin-It

    It's Egyptian, settle down Grandpa.

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    1 points ____Manifest____

    I forgot about the failed Egyptian king Fakinitillimakeit.

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    0 points KingTootandCumIn_her

    And there are no rules that state a post can be deleted bc of a username. So you must have gotten offended by it and had to make a comment.

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    4 points 1600cc

    Why do you keep spamming about it?

    Message a mod or get over it.

    parent root
    -1 points KingTootandCumIn_her

    You don’t think I already did that?

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    -1 points KingTootandCumIn_her

    Ah yes, yours is much better.. manifest deez nuts

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    1 points ____Manifest____

    Your wish is my command. My nuts have manifested in your mouth.

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    0 points SappyGilmore

    KingToot takes the early lead...

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  • -10 points SilencedObserver

    Nothing like more disinformation from the oil and gas industry.

    Petroleum goes in this stuff.

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    9 points Magnus77

    No it doesn't.

    What a stupid thing to lie about.

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    3 points SappyGilmore

    I don't know about you, but when I talk to other people about Velveeta cheese, I often get into a heated debate about the oil and gas industry.

    And the whole petroleum secretly being put in most processed cheese products since the 60's conspiracy, don't even get me started.

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    3 points Drivestort

    Kraft singles used to say other processed cheeses were made with oil and water, so people must have interpreted that as petroleum.

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    0 points SilencedObserver

    Not everyone who's wrong is lying. Splitting is real, though.

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    2 points Magnus77

    So you're just willfully ignorant and ok declaring your incorrect information publicly.

    Is that supposed to be somehow better?

    Hell, if you had just said that it had petroleum in it because you thought it did, I probably wouldn't have added the lie bit. Instead you said that the study was a lie, tied it to the petro industry being underhanded, and then said the falsehood. That's 3 stages of shit you didn't know, and couldn't be bothered to due the base amount of due diligence on, and to be blunt it felt like you thought you could make a bold statement and get karma.

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