Nothing Extra About Imported Extra-Virgin Oil
This photo taken June 6, 2012 and supplied by the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, shows a large dock that washed ashore early Tuesday on Agate Beach, a mile north of Newport, Ore. / AP Photo
More than two-thirds of imported extra-virgin olive oil and one-in-10 made in California fail to meet international and U.S. standards, according to a report by researchers at the University of California, Davis.
Extra-virgin olive oil is a top-grade product that sometimes costs twice as much as regular or extra-light olive oil. But researchers at the UC Davis Olive Center found many brands don't live up to the label.
UC Launches Center To Nurture Olive Oil Industry
The report said 69 percent of imported oils sampled and 10 percent of California-produced oils failed the test.
The findings come as the USDA is formulating new standards for grades of olive oil to regulate a business that has drawn concerns over labeling accuracy.
What Makes Olive Oil Extra Virgin?
What makes olive oil "extra-virgin" is a cold-processing method that prevents aroma from degrading, which led the International Olive Council and the United States Department of Agriculture to establish a sensory standard: it must have "excellent flavor and odor" and contain no more than 0.8 grams of free fatty acid per 100 grams.
But according to a L.A. Times report, Bob Bauer, president of the North American Olive Oil Association, said he was skeptical of the results. "He pointed out that funding for the research - $125,000 so far - was provided by three of California's largest olive oil producers and the California Olive Oil Council," the article said.
But L.A. Times also pointed out that Bauer's group represents most of the companies that import olive oil into the U.S.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. Extra-virgin olive oil is a top-grade product that sometimes costs twice as much as regular or extra-light olive oil. But researchers at the UC Davis Olive Center found many brands don't live up to the label.
UC Launches Center To Nurture Olive Oil Industry
The report said 69 percent of imported oils sampled and 10 percent of California-produced oils failed the test.
The findings come as the USDA is formulating new standards for grades of olive oil to regulate a business that has drawn concerns over labeling accuracy.
What Makes Olive Oil Extra Virgin?
What makes olive oil "extra-virgin" is a cold-processing method that prevents aroma from degrading, which led the International Olive Council and the United States Department of Agriculture to establish a sensory standard: it must have "excellent flavor and odor" and contain no more than 0.8 grams of free fatty acid per 100 grams.
But according to a L.A. Times report, Bob Bauer, president of the North American Olive Oil Association, said he was skeptical of the results. "He pointed out that funding for the research - $125,000 so far - was provided by three of California's largest olive oil producers and the California Olive Oil Council," the article said.
But L.A. Times also pointed out that Bauer's group represents most of the companies that import olive oil into the U.S.
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CBS reports, "... Bob Bauer, president of the North American Olive Oil Association, said he was skeptical of the results. "He pointed out that funding for the research - $125,000 so far - was provided by three of California's largest olive oil producers and the California Olive Oil Council," the article said. But L.A. Times also pointed out that Bauer's group represents most of the companies that import olive oil into the U.S."
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Will the real "American" olive oil interest group please step forward?
One group calls itself "The California Olive Council" and represents olive oil producers in the state known to Gov. Schwarzenhoeffer as "Kally-for-nee-ya".
The other all-American group calls itself the "North American Olive Oil Association", and imports oil from Spain, Italy and Greece, among other places.
Yet, all American consumers care about is finding nutritionally excellent oil, with good flavor, but without high price and even greater hype. Can government standards and closer regulation help?
Until the forthcoming (October, 2010) issue of a USDA standard for olive oil, American consumers have not had a very consistent or accurate means to judge olive oil quality without buying and taste-testing it, first.
Predictably, all the sellers have claimed theirs is the olive oil to buy. But with marketing labels like "virgin" and "extra virgin", marketing claims begin to seem slightly silly.
So, where has the Obama USDA landed in this chaos of claims? Secretary Tom Vilsack appears to have made headway in grading olive oil by the standards most consumers would use of taste, odor (aroma) and smoothness, often considered the presence of substances like oleic acid.
The new USDA standard for grading olive oil does not make war on imported olive oils, as does the California Olive Council, but further elaborates what is permitted in the US market for human consumption, and how to grade it.
A better grading standard permits American consumers to read a product label with more assurance of quality, and for making price comparison. For consumers, that promotes product quality at a better price.
Reading through the complex USDA report on grading olive oil, it becomes clear assigning definite standards has been a challenge. As with judging wine, subjective (organoleptic) qualities play a great role, and expert olive oil graders are as important as expert wine graders.
But the new USDA standard means consumers can buy olive oil off the grocery shelf with a better idea of what they are buying-- how it will taste, how it will smell, and what substances it will contain. Government regulation clearly promotes consumer value through open, intelligent and effective product standards.
LIAR !! The Republicans like to regulate abortions and other medical procedures because things like RAPE are the work of God (see Sharron Angle) and we shouldn't interfere. It's all in god's plan for us. I have a hunch that you've never seen inference like you'll get if the teabaggers get into office.