The Trump administration has intensified its campaign to break the European Union’s exclusive grip on traditional food names, including Greek feta.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the US push to treat terms like “feta” as generic descriptions rather than protected origins saw significant momentum last year. US cheese exports surged by 20%, hitting a record 613,000 tons.
Shawna Morris, head of trade policy at the US National Milk Producers Federation, described the growth as a “quantum leap” for the industry. Leveraging large-scale, high-efficiency production units with long traditions in European-style cheese making, American dairies are often able to undercut their European rivals on price.
US views feta as a “crumbly white cheese”
The American initiative has sparked a fierce backlash across the Atlantic. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, representing hundreds of Italian producers, remains staunchly opposed to the use of the term “Parmesan” for any product made outside its designated region in Northern Italy.
The Consorzio estimates that global sales of “imitation parmesan” outside the EU exceed €2 billion ($2.3 billion) annually. For European producers, the issue is not merely commercial but one of consumer transparency. They argue that shoppers believe they are purchasing a product tied to a specific heritage and method of production, when in reality, they are buying a generic alternative.
While the US views “feta” as a simple category of “crumbly white cheese,” the EU maintains it is a product inextricably linked to Greek tradition and specific microclimates.
A deeper rift in global trade
Beneath the “Cheese War” lies a fundamental disagreement over the rules of global food trade. Large, export-oriented American dairy firms see emerging markets in Asia and Latin America as vital growth opportunities. Conversely, Europe is fighting to protect the “added value” of its Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) labels.
With US cheese exports continuing to climb, Washington is more convinced than ever that the battle over nomenclature is a multi-billion-dollar economic imperative.
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