Greece produces more authentic feta cheese than any other country. The cheese is so valuable, it’s nicknamed “white gold.”
But two forces are threatening Greece’s historical grip on feta. A pair of diseases has led to the death of hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats. Meanwhile, other countries, including the US, are challenging Greece’s legal claim to the name “feta” on the global stage.
So what does all this mean for generations-old producers? And what does this mean for the global supply of authentic feta?
Also read “Greek feta is getting more expensive because sheep and goats are dying by the hundreds of thousands”: https://bit.ly/4bUdybb
00:00 – Intro
01:21 – How feta is made
03:27 – Original Greek feta
03:55 – The battle over authentic feta
07:07 – Disease threatens Greek feta
07:43 – Culling sheep and goats
10:09 – Drastically lower supply
12:25 – Debate over vaccination
13:29 – Farmer protests
14:33 – Struggling restaurants
16:29 – Impact of outbreak
18:17 – Credits
——————————————————
#feta #greece #cheese #cheesemaking #whitegold #bigbusiness
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Why Greece’s $1 Billion Feta Industry Could Be At Risk | Big Business
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Also read "As a local, there are 8 things I wish tourists knew before visiting Greece": https://bit.ly/3RUbFVe
And "I left my marriage at 62 and moved to Greece alone": https://bit.ly/4xAkaUF
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How did the Pox enter Greece?🤔
If you live anywhere outside of Greece and enjoy Greek food, always buy the real Greek brands, not the fake ones from other countries.
Greece is the worlds ONLY producer of feta, since the term is protected and not allowed to be used for cheese if it is produced outside of Greece.
Hence "feta cheese" produced anywhere else but Greece is NOT feta cheese…
Probably USA that spread the disease there so that they can claim the name…
People say the US is arrogant, but how arrogant do you have to be to tell the entire world that they can’t make what you make? That would be like the US demanding the rest of the world not make burgers or hot dogs. It’s absurd.
It'd be great if there wasn't a commercial every 2 minutes.
I love feta on a hamburger.
Don’t be surprised if someone infected all those animals in Greece to paralyze those farms.
This is interesting. I believe Greece should be able to hold the licensing/patent of Feta. There is great importance in culture and authenticity.
In the U.S. I’ve quit eating Feta thinking I just grew out of liking it. And it has changed I know now.
Feta is the best cheese.
Cheese is one of the gifts to mankind. I love cheese. Easily one of my top 5 favorite foods. Having said that, feta is, at least to my taste buds, the worst cheese I have come across. I thought the story was about how ppl, en masse, have all just recognized this 😉
Sorry for the farmers 🙁
I had no idea. Thanks for making and sharing!
The one profiled farmer, with culled herd, had a farm that looked like it was in a state of disrepair that stretched back past 2025.
The word "feta" doesn't exist in the Turkish language, it's generic white cheese. The claim that Turkey does recognise the PDA is pointless.
Having tried both milk types they aren't even comparable how crazy the flavors are.
Oh they are destroying your working middle class too huh? Maybe we should join forces and dismantle these governments that do not represent the people but instead corporate Greed. There is a clause in the constitution of America that states if the goverment becomes a danger to the people then they can 86 their ass's
Greece can only steal from Trachia.
I kind of like it when they have problems.
Well, business involves risks. It's not easy.
When i went to the US, I was particulary shocked about the low quality products. It was difficult to eat and in France i’m seen like a trasheater.
Enshittification
Make an inferior product but market it as the same and sell for 1/3 the price to eliminate all competition while continuing to make your already inferior product worse over time
Trying Mexican "queso fresco" and greek feta
Both from goats
…shi tastes the same
And if there was any marginal difference
A normal person wouldn't tell as neither has too much to begin with and is usually just a topping on food.
Honestly its just there to add texture.
Sucks to suck, but I ate Feta both in Turkey and Greece, they are identical. We lived together for centuries, feta cheese is our heritage aswell. PDOs are stupid
yeah, they fake ones do taste like chalk!
watched this because i love feta and have noticed for the past few months shops selling only 'salad cheese' or 'feta style cheese'
Looks like a dire FATE-A for feta
I'll show myself out.
Watch carefully who will buy out the struggling farms. Might tell you a thing or two about the origin..
Bulgarian sirene is better. Hope Greece sorts out their situation successfully, competition is good.
I can never tell a difference between a 'real' feta and alternatives that cost up to 80% cheaper. The statement that they taste like chalk is complete nonsense. I get it, you want to sit on the laurels while others are able to make your product way cheaper. I don't care though. Do better or do something else. Neither my salad or wallet care about greek heritage. The disease is tragic but it's not like that price difference was solely caused by that.
This is a worldwide agenda to get rid of small Independent farmers and eventually be replaced with large-scale government controlled farms. Unfortunately, there are major food charges coming to the Earth. We are living in last days Biblical times!
4:45 France arguing that feta is just a word is so ironic.
I was shocked watching cooking videos from people in the US and seeing this dry flaky stuff being called ‘feta’ when it’s made from cow milk and doesn’t seem to be in brine. The tangy sheep / goat flavour and moist texture are kind of the point! I’m glad it’s a protected term in the UK and EU the fake stuff has to be labelled ‘Greek-style block’ or similar, so you always know…
In the EU Feta is a protected name, and could not be used for a cheese from Turkey or USA.
First, the crisis is awful and I genuinely hope those Greek farmers get back on their feet.
Second: protect origin and genuine geographically created reputation. But property in origin is different from owning a product category forever — especially once a market has made the term generic.
There is no universal rule that Greece invented feta → Greece owns “feta” everywhere forever. Genericness is jurisdiction-specific. The EU chose to protect Feta as a Greek product in Europe; that does not decide what the word means to American consumers.
If Americans understand “feta” as a type of cheese, “Wisconsin Feta” is honest competition, not theft. And I’d give other countries the same right to determine what has genuinely become generic in their own markets.
Champagne is a good comparison. France and the EU fought the U.S. over the name for years. We eventually restricted new American uses — but through a negotiated agreement where American producers got something back, not because France simply declared ownership over our market’s language.
Two exceptions matter:
1) "Authentic Greek Feta — Made in Wisconsin,” fake PDO claims, Greek imagery deliberately implying Greek origin? That’s deception and free-riding. Go after it.
2) If America uses coercive leverage to force another country to disregard its own legitimate genericness determination just to privilege American exporters? That troubles me too. The line between hard bargaining and coercion can be messy, but the distinction matters.
Protect Greek Feta as Greek Feta. Protect the PDO. Protect consumers from being lied to.
But America can — and should — negotiate for American producers selling genuinely American products.
That’s fair competition
Some Italian style products made here in the U.S. are actually quite good .
A brand of prosciutto from Iowa , La Quercia , can stand with the best of Italian brands.
They’re based out of Norwalk, Iowa and were founded by a couple who spent 2 years in Parma Italy studying the art.
Their Prosciutto Americano is a flagship national benchmark made from Midwest-raised Berkshire pork.
Ever buy Greek feta in the USA.. much more than 3 Euros
ABout the CULLING…@: Can we thrust the Greek Government ?? Can we thrust the EEU ???