By Danai Alexaki

 

 

Greek feta exports reached 736 million euros in 2023, a performance which not only justifies why the white "gold" is included in the benchmarks of domestic products, but also why other countries claim a share of its value.

 

"It is the second battle we are winning against giant interests. As we have emphasized before, the war for securing the Feta brand at the global level is long and difficult," the Association of Greek Dairy Product Industries pointed out, among other things.

 

Feta exports have been increasing both at the European and international level. The threat posed by imitation white cheeses bearing false labels under the name "feta" and exploiting its superior value both economically and nutritionally is strong both within the EU, where the brand name is exploited by large industries in France and Denmark, for example, as well as in third countries such as USA, Canada, Australia.

 

Exports account for 65% of production

 

As the president of the Association, Apostolopoulos Christos, pointed out to "Naftemporiki", "before the granting of the protected designation of origin label to feta, the dynamics of exports fluctuated below 10% of our production". "Building" the category of feta on international shelves was and is a long struggle.

 

"The fact that today exports reach 65% of production is an important development and for this reason we continue to fight for the protection of feta because as its consumption increases, so does its reputation."

 

10 times the global production of white cheeses

 

According to him, the global production of the white cheeses called feta is ten times greater than the domestic production of feta, which indicates the difficulty of trying to secure the authenticity of Greek feta at an international level.

 

About 135,000 tons of feta are produced annually in Greece, of which 65% goes to international markets. The main penetration markets are Germany, Britain, Italy, USA, Australia. In 2023 the value of Greek exports increased by 21% to 736 million euros compared to 605 million euros in 2022, a particularly significant development during a period when inflation in the food category remained high internationally.

 

Despite increasing its average price from 6.97 euros/kg to 8.41 euros/kg, Greek feta managed to maintain its volume dynamics at 87,400 tons against 86,800 in 2022, despite the fact that other white cheeses were comparatively more economical choice for consumers.