Greeks cheesed off by feta imitations

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) — Media outlets in Greece recently turned their gaze to the latest case of a white cheese being produced and marketed as feta, a prized constituent of Greek cuisine, in a distant part of the world.

A company in Chile marketed the white cheese that was produced in the US as feta, like many other companies have attempted in various parts of the world, earning Athens' indignation.

Greek authorities are now considering to submit an objection to Chile and appealing to the European Court on the ground that the company's behavior violates the roughly two-decade protected designation of origin (PDO) status, given by the EU, that feta cheese enjoys.

As a result of this status, only cheeses produced in mainland Greece and Lesbos Prefecture under specific conditions can be marketed as feta.

At home, Greeks are very fond and proud of the delectable, crumbly white feta cheese that they use extensively in a variety of dishes, salads, and pastries.

Some believe in the mythological origin of feta in Ancient Greece, when the gods of Olympus gifted the art of cheese-making to mankind, or so the story goes.

But there is also a much more material and practical reason behind their keenness in keeping feta Greek.

Greece annually produces some 120,000 tons of feta out of over 1 million tons of sheep and goat milk.

Around one-third of the feta that is produced is exported to mainly European and North American markets and generates nearly $450 million for the country's economy, according to 2020 figures. The country aims to further increase this income through expanded marketing campaigns and incentives to producers and exporters.

In addition to the jobs it creates in hundreds of factories scattered throughout Greece, feta production also serves as a source of income for more than 300,000 workers in 100,000 family-run livestock farms.

Also, some 50,000 farmers produce feed for the sheep and goats that are milked to make the cheese.

So for Greeks, the love for feta as a cultural cornerstone of their world-renowned cuisine also has a rational, economic tinge.