What the heck is ‘cheese seasoning’? Learn all about it

“Made with real cheese!” That’s what it says on the bag of Cheetos Twisted Puffs, which I was cheerfully munching last night. “We grow the best snacks on Earth!” adds the brightly colored packaging from Frito Lay, which manufactures the tasty treat.

General hilarity ensured when I read the ingredients out loud. Here’s what it says, with added line breaks to improve readability.

INGREDIENTS

Enriched Corn Meal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid),

Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Corn, Soybean, or Sunflower Oil),

Cheese Seasoning (Whey, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], and Less Than 2% of the Following: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Maltodextrin, Disodium Phosphate, Sour Cream [Cultured Cream, Nonfat Milk], Artificial Flavor, Monosodium Glutamate, Lactic Acid, Artificial Color [Including Yellow 6], Citric Acid),

and Salt.

Contains Milk Ingredients.

Whoever knew that Cheese Seasoning was such a complicated product? Now you know.