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Business/Finance See other Business/Finance Articles Title: US olive oil pushing gov't to test imported oils It's a pressing matter for the tiny U.S olive oil industry. Shoppers are more often pouring European oil _ it's cheaper and viewed as more authentic than the American competition. And that's pitting U.S. producers against importers of the European oil. Some liken the battle to the California wine industry's struggles to gain acceptance decades ago. The tiny California olive industry says European olive oil filling U.S. shelves often is mislabeled and lower grade. They're pushing the federal government to give more scrutiny to imported varieties. One congressman-farmer even goes as far as suggesting labels on imported oil say "extra rancid" rather than extra virgin. Stricter standards might help American producers grab more market share from the dominant Europe WASHINGTON (AP) — Need olive oil? American shoppers are more likely to pick a European brand, which is cheaper and viewed as more authentic than U.S.-produced olive oil. But U.S. producers contend that "extra virgin" olive oil from Europe may not be as pure as buyers think. They have asked the federal government to intervene by imposing stricter standards on the imports, which now make up 97 percent of the market. Olive oil production is steadily growing, and the domestic industry says it has gone from 1 percent of the national olive oil market five years ago to 3 percent today. Most of that is in California, though there are smaller operations in Texas, Georgia and a few other states. U.S. producers are seeking to build on that growth in a struggle reminiscent of the California wine industry's push to gain acceptance decades ago. They've mounted an aggressive push in Washington, holding olive oil tastings for members of Congress and lobbying for stricter standards on imports. The strategy almost worked last year when industry-proposed language was included in a massive farm bill passed out of the House Agriculture Committee. The provision backed by California lawmakers would have allowed the Agriculture Department to extend mandatory quality controls for the domestic industry to imports. The bill's language would have allowed government testing of domestic and imported olive oil to ensure that it was labeled correctly. View gallery This photo taken Feb. 14, 2014 shows dertification … This photo taken Feb. 14, 2014 shows dertification stickers are affixed to bottles of California oli … That testing, intended to prevent labeling lower-grade olive oil as "extra virgin" or fraudulently cutting in other types of oil, would be much more comprehensive than what imported oils are subjected to now. Extra virgin olive oil is considered to be the highest quality. But the language on labeling was stripped from the bill on the House floor, an effort led by lawmakers from New York, where many of the country's olive oil importers are based. They had the backing of food companies and grocery stores that use and sell olive oil. Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a farmer from Northern California, suggested that labels for imported oil should say "extra rancid." "What we're after here is not to cause problems for our friends who would like to market it. It's more just the truth in advertising that's necessary," LaMalfa said. New York Republicans said new testing standards would cost importers millions of dollars. Republican Rep. Michael Grimm said his Greek-American and Italian-American constituents know good oil and haven't had problems. View gallery This photo taken Feb. 12, 2014 shows a card bearing … This photo taken Feb. 12, 2014 shows a card bearing a certification sticker for California olive oil … "It's not rancid," he said. "There is always going to be a problem in every industry, but this is nothing more than a multimillion-dollar earmark," he added, using the term for special provisions that sometimes are inserted into legislation. In the end, the final farm bill signed by President Barack Obama earlier this month was silent on olive oil. But a nonbinding statement accompanying the bill encouraged the Agriculture Department, the U.S. Trade Representative and the Food and Drug Administration to "remove the obstacles that are preventing the U.S. olive oil industry from reaching its potential." It cited a 2013 U.S. International Trade Commission report that said international standards are widely unenforced and allow many varieties to be mislabeled and possibly even adulterated. The report also cited subsidies for European olive oil producers and tariffs as barriers to the domestic industry's success. The California olive oil industry boasted of helping to influence the report. According to the American Olive Oil Producers Association, California producers arranged farm tours for federal investigators, arranged for witnesses to testify to the group, and even held an olive-oil tasting on Capitol Hill for lawmakers and administration officials. View gallery This photo taken Feb. 12, 2014 shows California Olive … This photo taken Feb. 12, 2014 shows California Olive Oil Council Executive Director Patricia Darrag … For now, the domestic industry says it will keep pushing. Kimberly Houlding, executive director of the American Olive Oil Producers Association, says producers are still considering petitioning the USDA for an order to establish mandatory quality standards, including frequent testing. Ideally the order would apply to the entire domestic industry, including importers, Houlding says. Eryn Balch of the North American Olive Oil Association, which represents the importers, says they want to work with the domestic industry to grow the olive oil market in the United States. There's still a lot of the market to grab — only around 40 percent of U.S. consumers use olive oil, and olive oil has only about 15 percent of the volume share compared to other cooking oils. But that market is growing along with increased awareness of olive oil's health benefits compared with other oils. Extra virgin olive oil is often rich in polyphenols, nutrients that are thought to be helpful in preventing heart disease and other illnesses. "If the industry promoted the key proven benefits with a common voice and positive message, the growth potential could be almost limitless," Balch said. The United States now consumes the third largest amount of olive oil of any nation, behind Italy and Spain, according to the trade commission report. The report said consumption has risen by more than 50 percent since 2001 but said most U.S. consumers aren't able to distinguish good olive oil from bad, so they gravitate toward the least costly. ___ Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter: twitter.com/mcjalonick Poster Comment: [maria] I'm all for testing European olive oil! It's a known fact that adulterating olive oil is rampant in Europe, even sometimes with nut oils, such as hazelnut. Having a family member with a nut allergy, using European olive oil is a risk I cannot take. I even recall listening to a former Sopranos actor, the guy who played Vito, tell Fresh Air how he ran an olive oil scam where they filled expensively labeled bottles with low end oil. I buy organic Californian olive oil bulk (I put in in my own jar) at the local food co-op. Fine Print All I know is: (1) the oils that taste good, light, fresh and have nice amber color are the ones I buy (EVOO); and (2) the labels say something to the effect:.... Finally, when fresh garlic cloves are mashed in a wooden salad bowl with some salt, good olive oil and oregano, fresh-ground pepper added and then wine or cider vinegar is mixed in, to taste, you can pour this over your salad (any kind) and top it off with some grated parmesan/regiano cheese or Greek Feta and croutons and voila....the yummiest concoction on earth. Bon appetite everyone. [David H] The vast majority of olives that are grown in the US are for direct consumption, not many are grown just for the oil...the olive fruit has to be squeezed in order to the get the oil. And if you have ever tried to eat olives from Europe you'll understand why the US has the market for eating olives. Olives have to 'cured' to take the bitterness out of them and our processing is much different from overseas. I tried to eat some European cured olives a while back, they tasted horrible, I even tried to put them on a pizza...it ruined the pizza... [Jp] Well the sad truth is that many European Companies have been called to the floor many times for adulterating and mislabeling product. I buy oil from California Olive Ranch. You can buy it by the case, and it's good stuff...the proof is in the oil. Either it taste good or not. Better oils come from the Olive Press in Sonoma.The real thing can have a sort of back of the throat tickle. If you know how olive oil taste fresh from the mill, you will find that most of what you find on the shelf is not the real deal, or of such poor quality to be unrecognizable. Trader Joe's used to sell a really great olive oil from CA in a tall skinny bottle currently labeled "California Estate..." I have no idea what's in there now, but it is assuredly not the quality oil they had five years ago. Buy the good stuff and eat less. +7 John... "Imposing stricter standards might help American producers grab more market share from the Europeans, who produce in bulk and now have 97 percent of the U.S. market." IF American growers want a bigger market share - they better bring down their prices... The economy is still in the trash (despite the White House's false claims), and I don't have $20 to buy domestic oil. I have to go for the $8.99 oil instead. Bring domestic prices down - I'll buy it.+30 [Myron R] As a tiny (35 gallons in 2012) Oregon olive oil producer I would like to strongly disagree with the comment, which I can't find now, that " American Olive oil is adulterated and imported is pure." The problem we have as Olive oil consumers is that the regulations are not enforced. You are not getting what you pay with many imported "Extra Virgin" Olive oils. Extra virgin is an Olive Oil that has not been heated above a certain temperature, my memory is that it is around 60F. It is sort of like free run juice in wine making. It costs more and should deliver more. If it is adulterated with hot extracted oil, the consumer is being cheated. Also, some countries, particularly Italy export more than they produce so some of the Italian oil is not Italian. Is it worse? Probably not, its good Greek, Turkish or Spanish oil bought cheaply and then labeled Italian as it commands a higher price. If mislabeling doesn't bother you, fine. If it does, then asking more enforcement of regulations makes sense. +12 oldgeekMA I have been using the same organic, cold-pressed, Greek Olive oil for 30 years. In the USA, you refer to it as EVOO. In Greece, it's called Olive Oil. It comes from 4,000 year old trees, that have produced oil for the same family for 1,420 years. At a .4% acidity, and the exact taste of olives, you can drink this by the glass. The nice part, I have a source, that delivers a gallon every 2 months for 1/4 of the price of a cheap California EVOO. +18 [Anonymous] Anybody who buys off the shelf olive oil from their grocery store should read the book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller you might consider buying from a domestic producer.+7 [Grim Reaper] Best test for extra virgin is to pour a tablespoon and then stick your tongue in it. If it make your tongue tingle and it seems to be bitter then it is not a blend of oils. The tingle and bitterness should stop once you've removed your tongue for about 10 seconds. That flavor is all about olive oil. The Greek oils are the absolute best. [daniel] all major food co in America are going to suffer greatly till they get those Monsanto product and poisons out of the foods. Period...+2 [MarcoM] Unfortunately, concerning Italian oil, organized crime has gotten hold of its oil production. Especially producers that operate out of the Naples area. +6 http://news.yahoo.com/us-olive-oil-pushing-gov-39-t-test-072625740.html?soc_src=copy Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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