Olive oil regulation and adulteration

Record cases of possible fraud and mislabeling of olive oil are being recorded in the first quarter of the year in the European Union, as the price of the “liquid gold” soars to more than double 2018 levels, with production hit by extreme weather.

Olive oil producers are improving irrigation and seeking new varieties of olives to safeguard production as climate change upends harvests, causing prices of the staple of the Mediterranean diet to soar.

"Climate change is already a reality and we need to adapt to it," according to the executive director of the International Olive Council (IOC) Jaime Lillo.

One-third of Italians have reduced their consumption of extra virgin olive oil, a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, due to skyrocketing prices, according to a survey released Friday.

A 48-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for producing fake olive oil with various substances.

Police have said that a report was made against the man, which was followed by an investigation of the West Attica basement in which the olive oil adulteration took place, and his subsequent arrest.

The police in Thessaloniki detained two people who imported sunflower oil from Bulgaria, added impurities to it and sold it as extra virgin olive oil, the Greek national television ERT reported.

The fake olive oil was offered both on the Greek and Bulgarian markets.

The shortage of olive oil production in Mediterranean countries has negatively affected domestic prices, prompting the Turkish Trade Ministry to introduce additional measures, including the suspension of olive oil exports until November, to prevent a price increase in the domestic market.

The Greeks are still hostages of the 20 liter can, as only 27.4% of the households buy branded standard olive oil. In contrast, more than 60% either produce their own olive oil or it is sourced from relatives or friends, according to research recently published in the journal Nutrients.

Price is the main criterion

Rafael Pico, president of the Spanish Olive Oil & Pomace Olive Oil Exporters Association (ASOLIVA), told Xinhua in an interview that the 25 percent US tariff imposed as of Friday on bottled Spanish olive oil means the product will be effectively "expelled" from the US market.
Spain currently exports around 200,000 tons of olive oil to the US every year.

The Active Users Association identified imitations of quality olive oil on the Bulgarian market. The survey includes 28 brands, all of them being bought in supermarkets in Sofia.

Turkey should be able to sell its olive oil to European Union markets in a customs-free manner, just like it can do for olives, rather than on inward-processing model, to give a boost to its exports, a leading sector player has said.