K A S H R U T . C O M_©

July 29, 2024 from the Food Ingredients First:

"The EU has recorded a sharp increase in potential cases of olive oil fraud and mislabeling in the first quarter of this year, attributed to rising prices for key commodities worldwide.

"Extra virgin olive oil prices have skyrocketed to an unprecedented level due to climate change and the burden of high interest rates. The most influential olive markets in the EU — Bari (Italy), Chania (Greece) and Jaén (Spain) — are grappling with historic price surges. At the same time, global production has plummeted from 3.4 metric tons last year to 2.3 metric tons this year.

"Industry experts predicted a scenario where the global demand for the kitchen staple will outweigh supply, in May this year. The crunch has led to increased prices and fraudulent activities, including mislabeling, adulterated olive oil and potential fraud cases.

"The EU has marketing standards to ensure that agricultural products in the market meet standardized and satisfactory quality standards and can deliver on consumer expectations.

"The EU olive oil legislation explicitly lays down the different categories of olive and olive-pomace oils and the relevant analysis methods to be used by member states control authorities. The regulation also defines rules for labeling and packaging olive oil and related products.

"EU law stipulates that EU countries must perform several checks and controls in line with the volume of olive oil marketed in their country. This helps the Commission ensure the region follows marketing standards for olive and olive-pomace oils.

"Despite existing legislation, the EU recorded 15 such cases at the beginning of 2018. However, according to data accessed by The Guardian under freedom of information laws, 50 such cases have already been recorded in Q1 of 2024.

"The data includes instances of olive oil found to be adulterated with oils of a cheaper quality and even those unsuitable for human consumption, pesticides and shards of glass.

"Meanwhile, in Spain — which accounts for more than 40% of the world’s olive oil production — 41 cases of olive oil fraud and non-compliance have been reported since the beginning of 2023.

"Member states take action based on the seriousness of the irregularities detected."