- Even well known brands have been found selling fraudulent labelling of extra virgin olive oil.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Fraud: Whole Foods, Rachel Ray, Safeway, Newman's Own, Colavita, Bertolli. "More than two-thirds of common brands of extra-virgin olive oil found in California grocery stores aren't what they claim to be, according to a report by researchers at UC Davis, " said the Los Angeles Times in the story linked to below. This are only few of the major brands reported by UC-Davis.
Source: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/720875
Some oil labeled "extra-virgin" is diluted with cheaper olive oils or other vegetable oils. In some cases, lampante, or "lamp oil," which is made from spoiled olives fallen from trees, is used, even though it can't legally be sold as food. One fraud ring is accused of coloring low-grade soy oil and canola oil with industrial chlorophyll, and flavoring it with beta-carotene.
Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12571726
Confiscated of oil seeds that "miraculously" became extra virgin olive oil occurred in Cerignola it is yet another demonstration of how crucial is the issue of making mandatory with legislations of labelling the indication of origin and extra virgin oil. We are expressing praise for the work done by the Bari Carabinieri NAS which found a clandestine laboratory used for packing sophisticated oil seeds and labelled as extra virgin olive oil helped by fuzzy rules that leaves room for the possibility of "selling" as Made in Italy a mixture of oil pressed from olives in Spain, Greece and Tunisia, with deception for consumers and serious economic damage to companies. ...Over half of the “Italian” olive oil sold in supermarkets is pressed from olives that you do not know the their provenance...
Source: http://www.puglia.coldiretti.it/etichettatura.aspx?KeyPub=GP_CD_PUGLIA_HOME|CD_PUGLIA_HOME&Cod_Oggetto=11983445&subskintype=Detail
To ensure consumers that what they are buying is genuine extra virgin olive oil it is vital that the labelling clearly shows its certifications. Indeed, only strict control from authorised agencies relise the PDO or IGP denomination to the producers. PDO and IGP labelling indicates the entire process of growing, pressing, and bottling took place within the region.
Please be aware of fraudulent scamers! |
