Shelf-stable shredded cheese

A shelf-stable shredded cheese comprises natural or process cheese, cheese powder, glycerin, and filler. It has a water activity of less than 0.5 and a shelf life of >=3 months at ambient temperatures. It exhibits good melting properties. An independent claim is also included for a method of preparing a shelf-stable shredded cheese by (a) heating a mixture comprising 3-30% natural or process cheese, 5-60% cheese powder, 5-25% glycerin, 15-45% filler, 0-25% sweetness modifier, and 0-5% emulsifier at a temperature and for a time to obtain a homogeneous mixture; (b) cooling the homogeneous mixture to form a solid cheese composition; and (c) shredding the solid cheese composition to form the shelf-stable shredded cheese.