"Can't Stop Eating"... The Giant Plastic Container of "Human Feed" Was Born While Making Animal Feed [Delicious Story]

Cheese Balls Packed in Plastic Barrels
Accidentally Created While Making Animal Feed
Loved Enough to Appear in Hit TV Shows

Editor's NoteIt is said that the first snacks were discovered in ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Snacks have accompanied every moment in human history. From biscuits and chocolate to ice cream, we bring you delicious stories behind the treats we love.

The giant plastic container filled with orange snacks-cheese balls. This is the signature product of the American snack company Utz, and in Korea, it has earned the nickname "human feed." The reason is the seemingly endless quantity that never appears to decrease, no matter how much you eat, and the addictive quality that makes it hard to stop once you start. Cheese balls originated as a snack accidentally invented by an employee at an American animal feed manufacturer while making animal feed.

A Snack Sold in 1kg Containers, Not Bags

Utz Cheese Balls. YouTube capture

Utz Cheese Balls are a product where round, orange snacks are packed into a large, transparent plastic container. Each container weighs between 793 and 992 grams (g), nearly 1 kilogram (kg). Even in the United States, their country of origin, they are packaged in 28-ounce (793g) and 35-ounce (992g) sizes and sold for 20 to 25 dollars. Because they are sold in containers, not bags, they are counted by the "barrel."

The cheese ball itself is an ordinary snack without anything particularly special. It is a crispy treat made by baking grain dough and coating it with cheese-flavored seasoning. What sets cheese balls apart from other snacks is the weight, which can be up to 1kg per container. According to the official Utz website, "Many customers are curious about how many cheese balls are in a barrel, and there are at least 736," emphasizing, "It will provide a sufficient amount for parties, events, or any occasion."

“Human Feed” Invented by a Real Animal Feed Manufacturer

The origin of cheese balls, known as "human feed," was the cheese puff. Cheese puffs refer to snacks made by heating cornmeal dough.

Plackal employee (left) extracting cooked dough snacks with a cattle feed grinder and Plackal's corn curl snack advertisement. Wisconsin 101, captured from MEL Magazine

Cheese puffs were born in an animal feed factory. In 1935, Plackal Company, a feed manufacturer in Wisconsin, USA, installed a machine in its factory to grind grains such as corn for cattle feed. One day, while cleaning the grinder, employee Edward Wilson noticed that part of the feed dough inside the machine had puffed up. Wilson collected the dough, took it home, seasoned it with savory spices, and began eating it as a snack.

Afterward, the snack Wilson made from the dough started gaining popularity among his coworkers. Plackal Company conducted its own investigation and discovered why the feed dough had puffed up. When the molding machine that extruded the ground grain was heated, the dough passing through it also cooked, swelling up like popcorn. At this point, the dough developed a unique texture-crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Plackal Company shifted its business focus from animal feed to snack production and sold the product under the name "corn curl." As the method for making corn curls spread, various types of cheese puffs, such as Cheetos and cheese balls, also emerged.

From Snack to Cultural Phenomenon

A scene from the American workplace sitcom "The Office." Through this drama, cheese balls rose to popularity as a favorite snack among office workers. YouTube capture

The company that first started selling cheese puffs in large plastic containers was Utz. In 1990, Utz wanted to fully capitalize on the advantages of cheese puffs by creating a high-volume, low-margin product. After brainstorming, Utz sales staff came up with the idea of the cheese ball barrel-filling a large, transparent plastic container with cheese puffs.

The cheese ball barrel instantly captured consumers' attention upon release and became explosively popular. Before long, it also became a cultural icon. In the popular American sitcom series "The Office," which depicts office life, a scene featuring protagonist Michael Scott keeping a giant cheese ball barrel near his desk and tossing snacks into his coworkers' mouths became a hot topic.

John Wareheim is the planner of Yootz Cheese Ball Barrel and reportedly delivered the first completed Cheese Ball Barrel product directly to retail stores. Yootz Facebook capture

At the retirement ceremony of John Wareheim, the planner behind the cheese ball barrel, American internet users flocked to congratulate him. Wareheim retired from Utz in 2020 after a 26-year career, and when news of his retirement was posted on social media, thousands of comments poured in, such as "Thank you for inventing cheese balls" and "Our family dreams of making a container filled with cheese balls." American media outlets like CBS News reported, "The godfather of cheese balls has left Utz."