Greek feta cheese exports to the United States showed a massive 87.1 percent rise in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2011, a report by the General Consulate of Greece in New York said.
Exports to the US in the January-to-June period amounted to an estimated $5.04 million, up from $2.69 million in the first half of last year, although the Consulate notes that there can be no exact estimate of feta imports, as the same levy classification concerns four other soft cheeses such as manouri and halloumi.
However, according to data from the National Cheese Institute of the US, the sales of feta cheese in the country’s major supermarket chains alone posted a 6.4 percent annual rise in 2011 from 2010, amounting to 7.89 million kilograms that were worth $171.7 million. Most of the feta sold concerns the original, Greek-made product that accounts for 90 percent of sales in supermarkets, the same source revealed.
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