Posts Tagged: olive oil

USDA prepares fig leaf for European olive producers

By Marc Albert | Jul 15 2010 at 13:30 | Your take

They may be preliminary, but the results are nonetheless shocking: Nearly 70 percent of the 19 different brands of foreign and domestic extra-virgin olive oil tested by researchers at UC Davis weren’t what they claimed.

Despite the assurance of labels and premium prices, much of the oil was adulterated with cheaper refined oils, pressed from olives already past peak, damaged by heat or light or just plain old and stale, (more…)

Topics: Beltway Outsider, Dept. of Agriculture, Product Safety
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USDA extends olive branch to American oil pressers

By Marc Albert | Jun 04 2010 at 12:59 | Your take

In a move that should reassure shoppers burned by a European scandal involving phony olive oil, the USDA will begin enforcing the scientific verifiability of label claims.

It may come as a shock to American consumers, but prior to this coming October, descriptors such as “virgin,” “extra virgin” and “cold pressed” are considered nothing more than unenforceable marketing terms. (more…)

Topics: Beltway Outsider, Dept. of Agriculture
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