Getting your olive oil to market: A simple guide to labelling
By Laura Thomas
It often pays to read the fine print and when selecting a bottle of quality Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you can bet your customers will do exactly that.
A good label will tell them everything they need to know about their chosen bottle of liquid gold – its character, place of origin, harvest date, quality assurance, best before date and much more.
And while an eye-catching, informative label will make your product stand out from the crowd, it’s important to understand the regulatory requirements for EVOO labelling and ensure you’ve ticked all the right boxes.
Harvest is already drawing to a close across parts of Australia, with producers preparing to get their oil to market.
So, let’s take a look at some of the necessary information to include on your olive oil packaging.
Mandatory inclusions for olive oil labelling
To ensure your product complies with the Australian Standard for Olive Oils and Olive Pomace Oils AS 5264-2011, Food Standards Australia New Zealand and Australian Consumer Law regulations, certain information must be included on the label.
Information such as country of origin, net contents, ingredients, nutritional information, storage information, a best before date (see more on that, below) and company contact details are all mandatory inclusions.
To find out more about best practice olive packaging and distribution and ensure you’ve included all the right information on your labels, check out this article published in the Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor magazine back in 2022.
It was compiled to help make the labelling process smooth and hassle-free for producers and is available now – along with countless other resources and magazine back issues – via the AOA website.
Best before date
Another necessary label inclusion is a best before date. This date must be derived from the chemistry of your oil, no greater than two years from the date of packaging and supported by technical evidence.
So how is it calculated?
It all boils down to the chemistry of your oil, shown in the results of your oil testing.
According to the OliveCare® Code of Best Practice, a potential best before date is determined from the lowest value derived from Rancimat® (INDuction time), Pyropheophytin a (PPP) and 1,2 Diacylglycerides (DAGs) testing.
When getting your oil tested, ensure you order a test which includes PPPs, DAGs and induction time or simply order a test which calculates the shelf life for you.
You can read more about this and other labelling requirements in the Australian Product Label Guide: Olive Oil, available on the AOA website.
Producers are encouraged to undertake regular product testing to track oil quality and adjust best before dates as required.
What else should I include on my labels?
Producers are encouraged to include a harvest date on the product label, to provide improved transparency for consumers.
A product description is also recommended to help consumers select the perfect product.
Other details such as olive cultivar, awards decals, organic claims are also recommended.
OliveCare® Australian Extra Virgin Certified Logo
There’s no better advertisement for quality than the OliveCare® logo!
The OliveCare® certification initiative was developed to ensure high-quality and authentic Australian olive products and boost brand integrity, for the benefit of producers, consumers and industry.
AOA members can apply to become an OliveCare® signatory, authorising use of the Certified Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Trade Mark logo on their oils – giving consumers confidence that they’re buying a bottle of the good stuff!
Visit the AOA website to sign up and find out more.
Check out the resources available on the new AOA website!
As the national peak industry body representing Australian olive growers, the Australian Olive Association is your go-to for everything you need to know about olive production.
A wealth of information is available on the brand new Australian Olive Association website, while AOA members can also refer to the resources available from the Members Lounge.
Not a member? Find out more about the benefits of joining the industry’s national representative body at https://australianolives.com.au/member-benefits/
Sources:
www.australianolives.com.au
Australian Product Label Guide: Olive Oil
OliveCare®