Olive Oil News

The 2012 Olives New Zealand Conference was a resounding success, with good attendance and a positive motivation for the way forward. ONZ executive officer Gayle Sheridan said the response from attendees was rewarding, showing ‘excitement and real commitment to the industry and the role of Olives NZ’. The Olives to Oil course held the next day was equally as successful, attracting 50 attendees for a full day of information sharing and learning on this important topic.
Attendee feedback to the FOE team has been equally as enthusiastic, with participants praising both the organisation and content of the weekend’s events. So hats off to the Olives NZ executive for all their efforts and a job incredibly well done – Ed.

To view photographs from the 2012 Conference and Olives to Oil workshop visit: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.422722444411445.118138.231440906872934&type=1&l=d864990ea8#!/photo.php?fbid=422722561078100&set=a.422722444411445.118138.231440906872934&type=3&l=d864990ea8&theater. To place orders contact Gerry le Roux, Sciencelens Ltd on 027 510 5177, 06 3566 377 or [email protected].

Experts who advise the International Olive Council on the chemical analysis of olive oil met in its Madrid headquarters last week to discuss issues including the results of recent trials of testing methods. Asked for details of the agenda and who would attend, an IOC spokeswoman said the meeting was strictly reserved for experts designated by IOC member countries. About 40 were expected to attend and no observers were permitted. The results of ongoing collaborative trials organized by the IOC – to check the reliability of, and to validate, tests – were discussed and the group reviewed new and existing methods of analysis designed to improve the quality and authenticity of olive oils and olive pomace oils.

The olive oil industry is “on its knees” as high production volumes are squeezing commodity prices to record lows. Olive oil has been an anomaly in the edible oils sector over the past two years. At a time when the price of other oils has soared – driven in part by the rising price of crude oil – olive oil prices have nosedived. According to suppliers, Spanish olive oil is currently going for about €2.20/kg, while Italian olive oil is on the market for about €2.50/kg.

And in case we needed more argument for conversion to olive oil consumption…

The AOA has announced preliminary details of the 2012 National Olive Industry Conference & Trade Exhibition. The event will be held on Tuesday, 23 and Wednesday, 24 October 2012 in NSW, with further details regarding the location and venue to be announced. We’ll keep you updated as plans progress.

And a reminder about the Olives WA’s EVOO sensory training workshops on 24-25 March. Run by Richard Gawel, the workshops will cover the fundamentals of EVOO, and the effects of olive growing and processing methods on character and style. The courses will be presented in layman’s terms, and help participants to understand the key practical chemical indices of extra virgin olive oil. Level 1 will be held on the Saturday, followed by Level 2 on the Sunday. For more information contact Pauline North on [email protected] or phone WAOC on (08) 9381 7162.

Counterfeiting is a major problem in the global food and drink industry with the level of fraud estimated at around $50bn a year, an audience at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting heard recently.