Greek Feta Shortage

[liuzhou]

In Europe (including the UK) and many other countries around the world Feta Cheese is a protected name and can only be made in Greece from sheep's milk or sheep and a maximum of 30% goat's milk. Similar brined cheeses cannot be called feta. Of the major developed countries, only Australia and the USA ignore this. American "feta" is made from cow's milk.

 

But there is a problem. Greece is facing a problem as a disease called sheep and goat pox is spreading throughout its herds and almost half a million animals have had had to be culled, leaving feta makers with little increasingly milk to turn into feta (as Greece normally does with 80% of its total sheep milk.

 

There is more information here.

 

Greek sheep and goat cull raises fears of feta cheese shortage

 

 

[Darienne]

Interesting point.  As a Canadian I thought I'd look up my country's rules. 

 

According to Mr. Google: 

 

In Canada, "feta" can refer to authentic Greek feta with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label or cheese from Canadian producers that can be called feta if they started using the name before October 2013. New Canadian feta-style products must use terms like "feta-style," "feta-type," or "imitation feta" and cannot include images that evoke Greece

[chromedome]

7 minutes ago, Darienne said:

Interesting point.  As a Canadian I thought I'd look up my country's rules. 

 

According to Mr. Google: 

 

In Canada, "feta" can refer to authentic Greek feta with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label or cheese from Canadian producers that can be called feta if they started using the name before October 2013. New Canadian feta-style products must use terms like "feta-style," "feta-type," or "imitation feta" and cannot include images that evoke Greece

I wondered about that too, so you've prevented me going down a government-site rabbit hole when I'm supposed to be starting work. 

So thank you!

[blue_dolphin]

Here in the US, Israeli feta cheese is quite common. Is it called by another name in Israel?

[TicTac]

Macedonian feta is IMO even superior to Greek - far better texture.

 

Guess I will buy up all local stock of Green feta and start flipping it on the secondary market!

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

Here in the US, Israeli feta cheese is quite common. Is it called by another name in Israel?

 

In Hebrew it's פטה (pate), but much milder than the Greek.

[KennethT]

20 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

In Hebrew it's פטה (pate), but much milder than the Greek.

The hebrew you included could be pronounced fetah - the letters there don't include the vowels.  Also, the first character (on the right) is the "ph" phonic, rather than "p"...  To be "p" it would have a dot in the middle.  Regardless of how it's pronounced, I have no idea what Israeli feta tastes like! ha!