AH, THOSE FREE TRADING EUROS:

Greek cheese makers welcome European Union protection of feta cheese (THEODORA TONGAS, October 15, 2002, Canadian Press)

It was a good day for Greek salad.

Makers of its key ingredient - feta cheese - on Tuesday hailed a European Union decision giving them exclusive rights to make the tangy white product produced from the milk of goats and sheep. The EU Commission gave European producers of feta five years Monday to find another name for their product or cease production.

"Feta ... will no longer face illegal competition from other white cheeses in brine," the Greek Dairies Association said in a statement. "Goat and sheep farmers will benefit most because the milk they produce will be sold more easily."

Feta, which can now be produced only in certain regions of Greece, joins a list of hundreds of protected gourmet products, including cheeses like Italy's gorgonzola and French brie de Meaux.

"Illegal competition"? Posted by Orrin Judd at October 16, 2002 5:39 PM