Nobody expects their store-bought frozen breakfast sandwiches to be made with the purest artisan ingredients, but when you grab a case of Jimmy Dean eats, you at least hope that the label reading “made with real cheese” is telling the truth. Restaurants can throw fancy cheeses and aioli on breakfast sandwiches all they want, but sometimes things are better the less refined they are. Many still prefer stopping for an Egg McMuffin or some other fast food breakfast sandwich, but you still want to at least know what you’re eating. But what type of cheese does Jimmy Dean actually use in its breakfast sandwiches?
Like many things with food, the answer depends on your definition of “real cheese.” According to Tyson Foods’ website, Jimmy Dean uses “sharp pasteurized process American cheese” on its frozen breakfast sandwiches. But not everybody considers American cheese to be real cheese, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which deems it “pasteurized processed American cheese food.” This designation means that American cheese only needs to contain a minimum of 51% real cheese and can be combined with other ingredients and fillers. Of course, even the definition of processed is less clear than you might think, and plenty still consider American cheese to be the real deal.
Jimmy Dean uses American cheese, which there is a lot of debate over
When a food is labeled “processed,” it simply means that it has been altered from its natural state, often through the addition of other natural ingredients. So, technically speaking, all cheese is somewhat processed. While the FDA sets a standard for real cheese, the point at which too many additions cross from “real” to not is fairly arbitrary. American cheese, like the kind that Jimmy Dean utilizes, is made with real cheese, often cheddar or Colby, which gets mixed with emulsifiers to get that soft, melty texture we all love. Those additions mean that, legally speaking, it may not be considered real cheese, but the base ingredient is still cheese.
Whether you consider American cheese to be the real deal is ultimately a personal decision. Does bread stop being “real” when bakeries add malt powder to improve the texture? Is the soy lecithin used as an emulsifier any less real than other soybean products? While the FDA understandably has to set some standards, plenty of professional chefs have disagreed, noting that you should reconsider your opinion about processed cheese. Sure, companies like Jimmy Dean play a little fast and loose with terms like “real,” but that’s an industry-wide problem — and its breakfast sandwiches use the same cheese you may otherwise find in a restaurant. For the perfect breakfast sandwich, a few additives may be worth it for extra melty cheese.
