Greek authorities mull court case against feta cheese imitations

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) - Greek authorities are considering appealing to the European Court of Justice for the illegal use of the name "feta" by two dairy production companies, the local media reported Monday.

The French dairy giant Lactalis which produces Valbreso feta and the US-based Athenos have been illegally using the name for their product, according to a report by the daily Kathimerini.

Athenos feta has been registered in Chile and produced in the US, while Greek authorities are expected to submit an objection to Chile’s Intellectual Property Organization, it said.

Lactalis, on the other hand, in its corporate and social responsibility report under the title Authentic Products and Heritage, states that it is “committed to maintain product diversity through the protection of know-how, especially Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products.”

Both feta cheese products have not been produced in Greece.

Feta cheese was registered as a PDO in 2002, while it is stipulated that the milk used in its production should come from specific regions of Greece, including mainland Greece, Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace, and the prefecture of Lesvos.

The milk used is either pure sheep or a mixture of sheep and goats, with goat milk not exceeding 30%.

According to the Directorate-General of Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission, it is prohibited to use milk from areas other than those stipulated in the preparation of Feta cheese.