Do You Care if These Fast Food Chains Don’t Use Real Cheese?

Cheese is basically its own food group. I mean, talk about a passionate love for, am I right?

Whether it's those fake American cheese slices on crackers dipped in soup, a creamy brie at your neighbor's party, or scrumptious Swiss on a sandwich from your favorite deli, the love affair with cheese is real.

Cheddar in a jar for nachos, to those specialty cheese shops, do you agree you'll eat real and not-so-real cheese?

Along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, your tastebuds most likely include savory as well, whether you're slumming it with fake mac and cheese out of a box or crumbling blue cheese on a salad.

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According to the Mashed website, processed, cheese-like products that are made up of less than 51% real cheese are not considered real cheese, as per the FDA.

These products are often ultra-meltable and tend to keep longer than real cheese, they have become an irresistible ingredient for use in many fast food restaurants. While many of our favorite franchises continue to use slices, chunks, shreds, and squares of the real thing, there are those opting for cheesy fakes.

Here are the fast food chains that use real cheese and those that don't, just in case you do care. I personally know I don't.

USE REAL CHEESE

Panera, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Chipotle, Wendy's, Chick-fil-A, and Jack-in-the-Box.

DOESN'T USE REAL CHEESE

McDonald's, Bojangles, Burger King, Sonic, Dairy Queen, and Tim Hortons.

Now, if you're wondering about popular fast-food pizza chains where cheese is literally the purpose for most pies, my searches showed that Domino's, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and Little Caesars do use 100% real cheese and cheese mixes.

HOWEVER, according to Wikipedia, only about 30% of pizza places around the country use actual Mozzarella, so if that's crucial to you, then make sure you ask or abide by the old saying, "You get what you pay for."