Nothing Extra About Imported Extra-Virgin Oil

(CBS)  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.

[alphaa10000]

AT LAST, A BETTER CONSUMER GUIDE FOR OLIVE OIL

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.

[mrleme]

If you use olive oil a lot you can appreciate the aroma and taste of true extra virgin olive oil and be concerned that you've been paying twice the amount in oil for a substandard product. Gone are the days for family owned olive groves like the Fusano's where you can trust the product.

[Skruffy1]

I read the report. Interesting. A lot there to read, and a bunch of new words to learn.

[voxpopulus]

Slightly s lutty olive oil.

[magoo2u1]

"Requirements to label correctly will be strongly opposed. Republicans do not like regulation. Remember AIG and the banking crisis? Poor regulation, thanks to Republicans."
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.

[rwsmith29456]

I wonder how many products are labeled beyond their actual quality? In this case, though, the olive industry itself has set standards and it doesn't do any good to create standards and then ignore them. Other food products, meat, fruit, vegetables are already given standards by the government(but who pays attention when nobody cares or it's not enforced?) and certain words apply to those products. I'm a conservative guy but if it benefits the public and the people who honestly put out a superior product I think it should be regulated and enforced. This country is becoming known for its crappy products and I'm for anything that can tend to reverse that.

[kjunrj]

What's the point in revealing this if you don't list the cheaters by name so we can avoid them?

[Chimney_fish]

kjunrj.....read the report.....it's linked in the article....

[alphaa10000]

For "cheaters", Read through the report of the Australian Oils Research Laboratory, Table 3, in the report of the UC Davis Olive Center, July 2010. This is lab data requiring close study, but it is the basis for the Olive Center claim that imports do not meet IOC and USDA standards.

[voxpopulus]

Just a little bit ****** olive oil.

[Chimney_fish]

If you're like me, you try the different brands and find one you like.......I've used the same brand for 10 years....no complaints.....

[Chimney_fish]

P.S.....it was listed as extra-virgin in the report.....duh

[iocor]

I never believed the virgin stuff anyway. I don't care what the olives do at night.

[cvanoff]

...or during the afternoon, for that matter -- LOL!