Feta: The battle for the protection of the Greek cheese in international courts

The Greek producers are preparing to fight yet another battle, the most difficult to date, for securing the interests of feta abroad. The fronts this time are located in Chile and Australia, where foreign competitors are trying to steal the trade name of the famous Greek cheese by taking advantage of the lack of PDO protection status.

The “counterattack” is expected to start from Chile, where counterfeiting phenomena are multiplying dangerously. At the forefront are the Americans again, who are trying to achieve the free use of the trade name feta regardless of the place of production of the cheese. And this despite the defeat they suffered about two years ago in Singapore, which forced them to compromise. The French giant Lactalis has also entered the “game”, as people in the field say. Lactalis promotes white cheese (from cow’s milk) under the brand “Athenos”.

According to information, the Association of Greek Dairy Industries together with the Interprofessional Organization of Feta are preparing to take legal initiatives to protect Greek interests. Specifically, they intend to file an objection and block the plans of their competitors, having in their quiver the fact that the name feta is already registered by Greece in the World Intellectual Property Organization.

In the Antipodes

Dynamic initiatives are expected to be undertaken in Australia as well. Although things are considered more difficult there, the Greek producers say that they are not going to lay down their weapons. “This is a huge market of special importance… We will protect our interests at all costs. We will not spare money and energy…”, dairy industry circles note.

The land of kangaroos and millions of diaspora Greeks in the is not bound by any bilateral agreement with the EU. And this is what increases the degree of difficulty and the chances of success.

According to information, attempts are being made to actively involve the European Commission in this battle, in order to strengthen Greece’s negotiating power, while the producers are on an open line of communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local embassies for coordinated action.

At the same time, the necessary raids have been made on large law firms abroad, in order to prepare the ground for the legal actions. The affairs of Chile and Australia occupied the recent meeting of the Interprofessional Organization of Feta.

Feta stirs passions…

Attempts by foreign companies to copy the trade name “feta” in international markets are not new. Especially in countries outside the EU, where there is no EU PDO product protection, the phenomenon is common. The popularity of the famous Greek cheese among consumers around the world is quite large and leaves no one indifferent.

This is a market that is growing year by year, as more and more consumers across the gloe are introduced to the taste and nutritional superiority of feta. It is no coincidence that according to the Ministry of Agricultural Development last year feta exports set a new record, reaching 605 million euros compared to 388 million in 2019.

The enemy within

At the same time, however, the phenomenon of fraud within Greek borders seems to be on the rise. The Federation of Livestock Breeders and Livestock Associations of Thessaly reported a case of “fraud” involving once again a well-known company.

The breeders make it clear that there is only one feta and is made from Greek sheep and goat milk. “There is no ‘feta-like’, no ‘feta-style’, or anything like that. The PDO feta is one and has specific rules for production and distribution, anything else is not feta and aims to mislead the consumer for profit, while it also constitutes unfair competition”, it is pointed out.