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According to the data by IOC, production in 2011/12 looks poised to be 302,000 tonnes higher than in the preceding crop year. Stocks of approximately 1 million tonnes are expected, an increase of 34%. Producers in Spain, Greece and Italy, the only three countries for which the IOC has reliable price data, are getting a low price – €1.75, €2.38 and €1.84/kg respectively – for the extra virgin olive oil they produce. One has to go back to May–June 2009 in the 2008/09 crop year to find comparable price levels.
Read MoreThe Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, are presenting a series of free workshops on soil health and carbon farming. The workshops will feature expert speakers on topics such as soil carbon, biology and fertility and will also introduce the Carbon Farming Initiative, including the process, methodologies for the region and funding opportunities. Sessions will run from 9:30am-4pm, with morning tea and lunch provided. Venues and dates are: Hahndorf – 19 June; Yankalilla – 20 June; Gawler – 21 June. For information or to register contact: Hahndorf – Melanie Bullers (08) 8389 5913, [email protected]; Yankalilla – Jodie Pain (08) 8550 3405, [email protected]; Gawler – Gail Kennedy (08) 8523 7700, [email protected].
Read MoreOlive oil prices are at rock bottom, so food manufacturers would be advised to secure supplies now to fix prices, as the trend will not last, Mintec has warned. Low current demand and over-supply are responsible for the price crash but predictions are that the situation will change within a year, due to the severe drought across Spain’s major growing regions over the past season.
Read MoreThe price for olive oil has dropped to its lowest level in a decade and farmers in the Middle East are bearing the brunt as Spain and Italy dump their government-subsidised stocks at below cost. “The international market prices are going below sustainable levels,” Nasser Abu Farha, the director of Canaan Fair Trade that works with some 1,500 Palestinian farmers, told The Media Line.
Read MoreCelebrating its 40th anniversary this year has given market research specialist Mintel the excuse to look at how consumers’ eating habits have changed since its first-ever report in 1972 – revealing how much more sophisticated the nation’s tastes have become. Many of what are now store cupboard essentials, for instance, were considered exotic 40 years ago. Then, just 16% of Brits had bought olive oil in the previous three months, while today over half are regular purchasers. Similarly, garlic and tomato puree were rarely seen in the British shopping basket, but now they are used by almost half of us. Sales of curry powder, on the other hand, are on the wane.
Read MoreA parliamentary push is on for greater protection of the local olive oil industry, calling for more transparent labelling to stop misleading information on imported olive oil products. NSW Nationals Senator John Williams spoke on the issue in the Senate recently, urging regulatory authorities to “act fast” and avoid the Australian olive industry’s potential decimation from “wrongdoing, misleading advertising and misleading labelling”. In his speech, Senator Williams also accused retail supermarket chains of continuing “to knowingly sell” extra-virgin olive oil products that are “misleading, deceptive and not allowed under Australian standards”.
Read MoreWhile generally a great night out, winemaker’s dinners are a dime a dozen these days. But what about a gourmet meal matched to premium local wines which also features premium local olive oil and olive products? It’s happening in Adelaide, with the Spice Market Restaurant at the Rockford Hotel presenting a dinner celebrating both of these great regional products. Viscous Virgins and Vinous Varietals is on Friday, 22 June and features Langhorne Creek olive oil producer Talinga Grove and Barossa’s Turkey Flat winery. Priced at $140pp, the event will start with a structured tasting of varietal oils, a blending competition and then a five-course meal, all accompanied by Turkey Flat’s varietal wines. What a great way to educate discerning consumers about the nuances of our wonderful fresh local oils. More information https://www.rockfordhotels.com.au/rockford-adelaide/adelaide-spice-market-dining.html by phone on 08 8211 8255 or email [email protected].
Read MoreDon’t forget to enter our great 2012 Quality is Clear Cut Subscriber Competition, generously sponsored by Eclipse Enterprises Australia. Just tell us about how you prune your grove and you’ll be in the running to win one of three great prizes, each valued at over $2,600. Entry forms in the Mar-May and June-July editions of Olivegrower & Processor or via the competition link in the ad below. Entries close June 30 – don’t miss out on your chance to win the latest new pruning equipment from Campagnola.
Read MoreIn 300 BC, the Syrian city of Antioch had public street lighting fuelled by olive oil. At the 1900 Paris World Fair, German inventor Rudolph Diesel demonstrated his engine powered by peanut oil. Biofuels are not new, but many of the technologies are; and interest in renewable, sustainable biofuels has recently been rising due to worry about peak oil and price pressures, vulnerability of energy supplies, dependence on imports and greenhouse emissions. In April this year, Qantas made its first flight using a 50-50 blend of refined cooking oil and regular jet fuel.
Read MoreCongratulations to Fair Go this week for a thorough, no-nonsense comparison of New Zealand extra virgin olive oil and the so-called European extra virgin olive oils sold in supermarkets, says Herald columnist Paul Holmes, who also declares his interest as a New Zealand producer of extra virgin olive oil.
The program sent 14 extra virgin olive oils bought at 14 supermarkets off to Australia for testing. The entire seven randomly-chosen European oils all failed to pass the extra virgin test.