Business Wire, July 15, 2010
Tests Prove 69% of Imported Oils Mislabeled as Extra Virgin Olive Oil
BERKELEY, Calif. — Given Americas ongoing love affair with food, it is no surprise that
sales of extra virgin olive oil in the U.S. have been surging. However,
a new study just released concludes that consumers are frequently being
ripped off when purchasing imported extra virgin olive oil as all too
often the oil fails to meet the internationally-accepted standards
because it may be oxidized, of poor quality, or adulterated and
mislabeled as extra virgin olive oil.
In tests of imported olive oils labeled as extra virgin and sold in
California supermarkets and big box retail stores, 69% of the samples
failed to meet internationally-accepted standards to be called extra
virgin olive oil since the oils were deemed to be too old, poorly made
and/or adulterated. The study was initiated to investigate a number of
unconfirmed reports that imported olive oils available for purchase in
the United States as extra virgin were actually lower quality oil. The
University of California, Davis Olive Oil Chemistry Laboratory
collaborated with the Australian Oils Research Laboratory to evaluate
the quality of extra virgin olive oils sold on retail shelves in
California.
Extra virgin is the highest grade of olive oil and must be extracted
from the olive without heat or solvents. International and U.S.
Department of Agriculture standards also require that extra virgin olive
oils meet specific criteria for chemical makeup and sensory qualities
including flavor and aroma. Because of these required standards, extra
virgin olive oil commands a top price. Federal law prohibits a company
from not disclosing that it is selling a blend of oils on the label.
Yet, olive oil can be exported to the United States and labeled as
extra virgin even if the same oils would not meet the standards for
extra virgin in Europe. In 2007, the United States imported more than
261,000 metric tons of oil branded as extra virgin up from 163,000
metric tons ten years earlier.
Each year in the U.S., consumers spend more than $720 million on olive
oil. The California olive oil industry and many retailers have long been
worried that consumers may be purchasing bottles labeled extra virgin
olive oil but actually receiving something quite different.
Falsely branded olive oil is a very real threat to our industry. This
is why we established a certification program to ensure that when
consumers buy a California-produced olive oil with the Certified Extra
Virgin seal on it, they know they are buying real extra virgin olive
oil, said Patty Darragh, executive director of the California Olive Oil
Council.
This is the first study of its kind by an American academic institution
and the report details the studys findings and names of the brands
evaluated. In conducting the study, researchers bought fifty-two samples
of 14 readily-available imported brands and 5 California brands of olive
oil sold under extra virgin olive oil labels in supermarkets and big box
stores throughout the state. The oils were divided and tested at the UC
Davis Olive Oil Chemistry Laboratory and the Australian Oils Research
Laboratory for a number of different sensory and chemical tests.
The oils that failed our tests had defects such as rancidity and many
of these oils did not taste good, said Dan Flynn, executive director of
the Olive Center at UC Davis. He added, Before this study, we had
anecdotal reports of poor quality olive oil being sold as extra virgin
but now we have empirical proof.
It is hoped that studies like this can educate consumers on what to look
for when making their purchasing decisions. Demand for extra virgin
olive oil has soared in recent years thanks in part to cable food
channels, celebrity chefs and the health benefits of the popular
Mediterranean Diet. Food savvy American consumers are reaching for extra
virgin olive oil to combine great taste and healthier choices. As a
result, according to the latest figures, more than 75 million gallons of
olive oil were sold in the U.S. in 2009, up from 47 million gallons just
ten years ago.
This pivotal research will help the consumer know what real extra
virgin olive oil is, said Linda Sikorski, senior buyer at the Pasta
Shop in Oakland, California. She added, Consumers can always ask their
specialty retailer for more information as well as trust the COOC seal
for assurance of extra virgin olive oil produced in California