Half of olive oil sold in France is falsely labelled
Almost half of olive oils sold in France do not conform to regulation, a new report has found, with many containing added vegetable oil, and falsely claiming to be 鈥渆xtra virgin鈥� or 鈥渙rganic鈥�.
A study into olive oil in France by consumer fraud office la Direction G茅n茅rale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la R茅pression des Fraudes (DGCCRF), September 21, among olive oil sellers on shelves across the country.
In 2016, almost half of all olive oils were not as they were described on their labels, the DGCCRF .
In a press release, the office of 139 samples of olive oil tested in 2016, 鈥渙ne in four were declared as 鈥榯o watch out for鈥�, and 67 (48%) were declared as not conforming to regulations鈥�.
The most common issue was incorrect labelling, which gave the impression that the oils were of a higher quality than they really were.
The DGCCRF : 鈥淚n the majority, [we are talking about] foreign olive oils with quality defects that have caused us to reclassify them into a lower quality level of product."
It added that 鈥渇ive oils that were analysed had been falsified with the addition of sunflower oil or rapeseed oil鈥�.
Of the oil producers tested, 17 were given legal warnings for 鈥渓abelling errors鈥�, 39 were handed injunctions for 鈥渘ot conforming to labelling laws鈥�, and 71 were formally warned for 鈥渘on-compliant labelling鈥�.
Of these, some were also apprehended for making reference to 鈥渙rganic production methods鈥� when this was not the case, e.g. pretending an oil was organic when it was not; and others were warned about falsely using the 鈥渓ogo for Appellation d鈥橭rigine Prot茅g茅e (AOP)鈥�.
A : 鈥淭he level of non-conformity is still at a very high level in the olive oil industry and has been for years."
It concluded that labelling and communication on the origins of olive oils and extra virgin olive oils should continue to be imposed by regulation and that its regular checks were 鈥渆ntirely justified鈥�.
