Industry News

We have an oil problem on our hands, and it has nothing to do with renewable energy and carbon emissions. When experts convened recently at the 104th American Oil Chemists’ Society annual meeting, there was heated debate over what to do about olive oil. Even though concerns over poor quality, mislabeling and downright fraud surfaced a…

Data gathered by on-the-ground economists from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will be shared with the International Olive Council (IOC) in a move that should sharpen forecasts of future world olive oil production, according to IOC Executive Director Jean-Louis Barjol.

It was a year of “unprecedented activity” for the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA), according to its chairman, John Sessler. In the trade group’s 2012 annual report distributed last week, Sessler cited four key developments in the olive oil industry and NAOOA’s involvement.

The food industry is anything but shaky around the world these days, from meat glue to horse meat in “beef” burgers. Who are we to trust? The latest scandal is fake olive found in Israel, including organic varieties. Watch out for it anywhere. We sum up where to buy, and what to avoid. Some varieties sold…

It’s the worst since at least 1999, and that’s official! With harvesting now concluded in Andalucia, this year’s olive crop is down around 57% on the 1.36 million tonnes of the 2011/2012 season, with such low levels not experienced for at least 14 years! In total 560,000 tonnes were expected to be harvested this season…

In Spain, olive oil might as well be considered one of the food groups. And, often, that olive oil comes in unmarked, unlabeled containers from small orchards. But the European Union wants to make sure consumers know exactly what they’re eating, which means big changes for the olive oil industry.

Hard pressed to justify a proposition deemed laughable by critics, the European Commission withdrew on Thursday a planned ban on restaurants serving olive oil in jugs on diners’ tables pending consultations with the industry and consumers. European Union Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos took to a regular media podium to perform a U-turn that spawned a…

For every gallon of olive oil that’s pressed from the ripe fruit, about 38 pounds of olive skins, pulp and pits are left behind. Known as pomace, these leftovers typically have low-value uses. But US Department of Agriculture (USDA) agricultural engineer Rebecca R. Milczarek and her colleagues are working with olive growers and olive-oil processors…

The need for maximum pesticide residue levels for olive oil imports into the United States will be raised during transatlantic free trade agreement talks in September, according to Italian Member of the European Parliament Sergio Silvestris. Silvestris had called for this back in March when he told the Parliament that 98 containers of Italian extra…