The Öko-Test took a closer look at feta and sheep cheese and gave many good marks for the goods on German supermarket shelves. But keeping animals could often be better.
Diced in a salad, baked with herbs or grilled, with flatbread and olives, on pasta, in dumplings – feta and feta cheese have not only given Mediterranean and Oriental cuisine a creamy, salty and spicy note for a long time. The magazine “Ökotest” has now examined 41 types of brine cheese from German supermarket shelves for the August issue in more detail, tried them and questioned manufacturers – with an overall positive result.
Of the products tested, 34 were real feta, 15 of which were organic. Six sheep’s cheeses were also scrutinized. Only cheeses that are traditionally produced and come from certain regions of Greece are allowed to bear the name Feta. This was decided by the European Court of Justice in 2007 after decades of litigation.
The milk for feta must come from sheep and goats that have grazed on pastures with a special biodiversity; according to tradition, goat milk may contribute a maximum of 30 percent. Apart from milk, bacterial cultures and salt, nothing is allowed in the cheese. All other brine cheeses on the shelves then have names such as sheep’s cheese, herder’s cheese, Balkan cheese or “Pheta”.
Two types poor
Half of the fetas performed well in the test, four organic fetas and two conventional varieties were rated “very good” – including “Patros Original Feta”, “Feta 3 months matured” from Alnatura and “Rewe Bio Feta, Naturland” . In all the others, “more obvious defects were found”, and two varieties are not recommended. “Bulgar Original Bulgarian Sheep Cheese” and “Hotos Manouri Cheese” received poor ratings. In terms of taste, all cheeses achieved a high rating. “Only a few cheeses were noticed with dull, bitter or soapy flavors,” says Öko-Test.
Most organic brands gave transparent information. Overall, however, the testers see opportunities for improvement in terms of animal welfare – including at organic farms. For example, only three organic brands and three conventional providers were able to prove mother-bound lamb farming. sovo / dpa
