As I understand it, the casein in dairy makes cheese meltable and "stringy". There are soy cheeses without casein (at least there used to be about 6 years ago when I could still eat soy), but they don't melt, or really "act" like cheese. Most people do not like artifical cheese that has no resemblance to cheese. I know they did not sell well at the natural foods co-op I used to belong to. Sue