By Dimitra Manifava
The United States has taken aim at European rules protecting products such as Greek feta cheese, arguing that the EU’s system for protected food names unfairly blocks American producers from selling their goods in international markets.
In a social media post this week, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described the EU’s protection of feta as one of the “craziest foreign trade barriers” facing American exporters. He argued that the term “feta” should not belong exclusively to Greece because there is no actual place called “Feta” in Europe.
Under European Union rules, however, feta is protected as a PDO, Protected Designation of Origin, meaning only cheese produced in specific regions of Greece and under strict traditional methods can legally be sold as “feta” within the EU and in countries that recognize European geographical protections.
The dispute has long frustrated American dairy producers, especially in places like Wisconsin, where companies have produced and marketed white brined cheese as “feta” for years. While those products can be sold in the United States, they cannot be marketed under that name inside the EU or in countries that have signed agreements recognizing European food protections.
Although feta itself was not specifically included in this year’s official U.S. trade barriers report, Washington strongly criticized broader EU rules covering protected food and regional products, arguing they create unfair restrictions for non-European exporters.
The report also raised concerns over several Greek and EU policies, including pharmaceutical clawbacks, agricultural subsidies, public procurement rules and restrictions affecting American legal firms.
The renewed debate highlights growing tensions between the U.S. and EU over food branding and trade protections, especially as Europe continues expanding its system for safeguarding regional products tied to tradition and geography.
For Cyprus, the discussion could carry wider implications beyond feta itself. Cyprus relies heavily on EU geographical protections for products such as halloumi, which received PDO status in recent years. Any international pushback against the EU’s protected-name system could eventually affect how Cypriot products are marketed and defended abroad.
