Greece was victorious in the “Battle of Feta” that kicked off a few weeks ago, when the original draft of an EU-Canadian contract that was submitted for discussion included a clause allowing Canadian cheese industries to use the term “feta”.
Greek Commissioner Maria Damanaki reacted strongly during meetings with other members of the European Committee, while Prime Minister Samaras stressed the importance of the matter to EC President Barroso during their recent meeting in Brussels.
Mr. Barroso and Canadian PM Harper negotiated directly over the matter, with the deal considered to be in favor of Greek and European interests. Use of the term “feta” includes an “established rights” clause that means that terms “feta type” or “feta style” are allowed, on condition that the product’s origin is clearly labeled.
This is a similar deal to the one for other European cheeses, such as gorgonzola and munster. The negotiations were difficult, but now they have set a precedent for further negations with the USA and Asian countries
