Barbara Minton ~ Extra virgin olive oil has become fashionable in health circles because it’s the predominant fat used in the Mediterranean diet, a diet shown to reduce risk of death for all causes. Italian extra virgin olive oil is considered the best, and it is the most highly sought. The only thing bothersome here is the fact that when you buy a bottle of Italian extra virgin olive oil, you may not get what you think you are getting, because olive oil tops the list for agricultural fraud.

An intergovernmental organization known as the International Olive Council (IOC) based in Madrid, Spain is the standard bearer for olive oil, tracking production, defining quality standards, and monitoring authenticity. The U.S. does not belong to this organization, and the USDA does not recognize its classifications, one of which is extra virgin olive oil. As a result, it does not enforce any criteria for that label – although it did adopt new olive oil standards in 2011 that were supposed to harmonize with those of the IOC.

According to U.S. Customs, if a non-origin nation such as Italy, is shown on the olive oil label, the actual place of origin must be displayed on the same side of the label and in same-sized letter, to keep from fooling consumers. But most brands sold in the U.S. disregard this and state their products are imported from Italy boldly on the front of the label, with the true origin printed in tiny lettering on the back, if it’s shown at all.

With Italian extra virgin olive oil in such high demand and fetching such high prices, adulterated oil has been documented as the primary source of agricultural fraud in the EU, even though they have the IOC, suggesting that this is true for the U.S. as well. Continue reading →