Abstract: High-moisture, high-pH, shelf-stable cheese spreads containing cheese, preferably a cheese having a pH of 5.4 or lower such as Swiss, Cheddar, American, mozarella, skim milk cheese, or cheese mixtures, water sufficient to provide a total moisture of from 51 to 58% and a pH of from 5.3 to 6.0 are preserved by adding sodium chloride, a phosphate salt, sodium citrate, and sodium lactate in sufficient amounts to maintain the composition free from the growth of Clostridium botulinum and the production of toxin by those organisms during room temperature storage for a period of at least 180 days, preferably 300 days. Some embodiments contain about 1 to 2% sodium citrate, about 1 to 2% sodium lactate, and a combined level of dibasic sodium phosphate and sodium chloride ranging between about 1.3 and 2.2%, and have a moisture content of 52 to 55%, and an overall pH of about 5.3 to 5.6.