In a report released today, 69 percent of imported olive oil samples and 10 percent of California olive oil samples labeled as extra virgin failed to meet the IOC/USDA standards for extra virgin olive oil. Teams from the Australian Oils Research Laboratory in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales and the University of California at Davis Olive Center analyzed 14 imported brands and five California brands of extra virgin olive oils from three different regions of California. The two laboratories evaluated the oils based on standards and testing methods established by the International Olive Council (IOC) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as well as several newer standards and testing methods adopted in Germany and Australia. The tests found that samples of imported olive oil labeled as “extra virgin” and sold at retail locations in California usually did not meet international and US standards. Sensory tests showed that these failed samples had defective flavors such as rancid, fusty, and musty. Negative sensory results were confirmed by chemical data in 86 percent of the cases.
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This year, the United States will surpass France in the production of extra virgin olive oil. The upset comes because a new method of growing the prized fruit, called "super high density planting," is sweeping California's olive orchards.
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A lack of federal rules has made the nation the dumping ground for cheap, adulterated and even dangerous oils. The USDA wants to make sure people who buy 'extra virgin' oil get what they pay for. The federal government has become serious about virginity - at least when it comes to olive oil.
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