K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Canadian inspections helping deter olive oil fraud

Feb 01, 2019 from the Hamilton Spectator:

"Olive production in Italy was hard hit last year due to an early frost. The country's olive production dropped by 57 per cent."
Both Greece and Portugal suffered a similar fate, along with pest issues, and saw their production drop by 35 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively. "
"In recent years, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has actually tested some products if it suspects them to be fraudulent. In 2013, 39 per cent of random tests found adulterated olive oil. A total of 28 samples were collected across the country. That ratio went down to 10 per cent in 2018, with the random testing of 20 samples. Obviously, these results do not mean cases of food fraud are actually down in Canada — far from it — but reports are encouraging, nonetheless. This may suggest that the industry is now fully aware that our federal regulator is checking and will find fraudulent products."
"In the mean time, for olive oil enthusiasts, vigilance is a virtue. Typically, 500 millilitres of good quality olive oil should cost 15 to 16 dollars to produce. Price points at retail for good olive oil should be higher than this. So, if you are looking at a bottle retailed at 10 dollars or less, just walk away. "