Feta cheese will be Greek, and only Greek, under an EU regulation proposed today by the European Commission at Athens' behest.
Under the rule, which needs approval from EU farm ministers
within three months, the word "feta" will become a protected appelation of origin restricted only to Greek-made feta.
The aim is to guarantee to consumers that they're buying authentic Greek feta, and not a like-looking product from somewhere else, a commission spokesman said.
Feta, the word itself is derived from the Greek language,is a soft white cheese made from goat's milk, and an essential ingredient in Greek cuisine.
But studies by the European Commission found that non-Greek feta in EU supermarkets was actually made with cow's milk in Germany, Denmark and France.
Brussels took steps in 1996 to protect the feta appelation, only to see them struck down in part three years later by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
AFP