Text 25634, 139 rader
Skriven 2012-06-01 22:58:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Jim Weller
Ärende: OLIVE OIL  20601
========================
 -=> Quoting Jim Weller to Glen Jamieson <=-

 -=> Quoting Glen Jamieson to Dave Drum <=-
 
 GJ> Following on my oily rant

 JW> I missed that, and possibly more, as there was a glitch in message
 JW> propagation for a while.

I have not been able to get anything from your side of the Pacific for
4 days, but a largeish packet came today.
 
 GJ> defence of South Australian olive oil producers, headed,
 GJ> "Overseas  olive oil cheats / substandard, incorrectly labelled
 GJ> European oil is still being imported by the large supermarket
 GJ> chains. / I don't know whether your olive growers are similarly
 GJ> affected

 JW> I did some reading and it seems that (1) not all Australian oils are

Quite possible, as the east coasters are descended from convicted
criminals.  The SA producers are very jealous of their reputations,
and members of the Association are determined to keep up the standard
against the pressure of the cheap imports.  All the local stuff I have
tasted is excellent, even that grown by Nancy's friend, Aristea.

 JW> super wonderful (2) mislabelled and adulterated oils are a global
 JW> problem and (3) the problem in the USA is greater as it never joined
 JW> the IOC and doesn't hold to world standards and definitions (not
 JW> unlike the issues mentioned in recent threads on champagne and
 JW> parmesan cheese.)

That makes it very difficult for Californian and other olive growers.

 JW> "Three countries are the major olive oil producers in the world.
 JW> First is Spain, second is Italy and third is Greece. Together, they
 JW> produce more than 75% of the world production.

And if you ask any of the natives of each of those countries what he
thinks of the other two, you will get a similar line of vituperation.

 JW> Australia now produces a substantial amount of olive oil. Many
 JW> Australian producers only make premium oils, while a number of
 JW> corporate growers operate groves of a million trees or more and
 JW> produce oils for the general market.

There are over 400 producers here, mostly small scale.  Some wine
makers also produce olive oil, which can be tasted at the cellar door
wine tastings.  In country areas like the Clare Valley, there are also
local bakers and dukka makers, so their products can be tried in
conjunction with the wine and the oil.

 JW> In North America, Italian and Spanish olive oils are the best-known,

Those are the main oils sold in supermarkets here.

 JW> and top-quality extra-virgin oils from Italy, Spain, Portugal and
 JW> Greece are sold at high prices A large part of U.S. olive oil
 JW> imports also come from Turkey. New Zealand, The Republic of South
 JW> Africa, Argentina and Chile also produce extra virgin olive oil.
 JW> Arizona, California and Texas are producing olive oil that is
 JW> appearing on USA grocery market shelves along side the Mediterranean
 JW> olive oils.

I would expect that USAn oil to be correctly labelled and promoted on
the grounds of its quality.  Hopefully, free tastings can be given.

 JW> The International Olive Council (IOC) is an intergovernmental
 JW> organization based in Madrid, Spain, with 23 member states. It
 JW> tracks production, defines quality standards and monitors
 JW> authenticity. The EU regulates the use of different protected
 JW> designation of origin labels for olive oils.

That IOC standard on a label would be something to look for.

 JW> The United States is not a member of the IOC, and the U.S.
 JW> Department of Agriculture does not legally recognize its
 JW> classifications. U.S. Customs regulations on "country of origin"
 JW> state that if a non-origin nation is shown on the label, then the
 JW> real origin must be shown on the same side of the label and in
 JW> comparable size letters so as not to mislead the consumer. Yet most
 JW> major U.S. brands continue to put "imported from Italy" on the front
 JW> label in large letters and other origins on the back in very small
 JW> print. In fact, olive oil labeled Italian often comes from Turkey,
 JW> Tunisia and Morocco. These products are a mixture of olive oil from
 JW> more than one nation and it is not clear what percentage of the
 JW> olive oil is really of Italian origin. This practice makes it
 JW> difficult for high quality, lower cost producers outside of Italy to
 JW> enter the U.S. market, and for genuine Italian producers to compete.

 JW> There have been allegations that regulation, particularly in Italy
 JW> and Spain, is extremely lax and corrupt. Major Italian and Spanish
 JW> shippers are claimed to routinely adulterate olive oil and that only
 JW> about 40% of olive oil sold as "extra virgin" actually meets the

All that corruption and cheating, mainly in Spain, means that I only
buy Australian, which I check for taste quality with each new bottle.

 JW> specification. In some cases, colza oil (Swedish turnip) with
 JW> added color and flavor has been labeled and sold as olive oil. In

 JW> Two diametrically opposed trends exist in the olive-oil business. In
 JW> the first, toward high quality olive oil, new milling technologies
 JW> such as stainless steel mills, high speed centrifuges, temperature
 JW> and oxygen controlled storage tanks are making it possible to
 JW> produce the best extra-virgin olive oils in history; fresh, complex
 JW> and every bit as varied as wine varietals. (There are about seven
 JW> hundred different kinds of olives.) Consumer demand for high-quality
 JW> olive oil in all of its variety, both in Europe and in North
 JW> America, is skyrocketing.

That demand is also increasing in Australia, mainly due to the health
claims for evoo.  Here there are many people with access to ancient
wild olive trees growing on their own or government land, who collect
the olives and take them to be pressed.  These old trees are not very
great producers, but their "heirloom" varieties have great flavour.

 JW> On the other hand, there's a strong downward pressure on olive-oil
 JW> quality, especially among the huge Spanish owned olive-oil traders
 JW> and bottling companies (which also control biggest Italian brands).
 JW> There is a massive output of low grade olive oils, particularly in
 JW> Spain and North Africa, which producers are selling as "extra
 JW> virgin" olive oil, even though this low grade oil doesn't meet the
 JW> requirements of the extra-virgin grade. New methods of chemical
 JW> refinement, commonly known as "deodorization," allow unscrupulous
 JW> producers to remove sensory defects and sell their sub-par oils,
 JW> illegally, as extra-virgin. By law, extra-virgin olive oil cannot
 JW> have undergone chemical manipulation.. In Spain refineries are
 JW> capable to cope with this technology. In 2012 The spot price of
 JW> "extra-virgin olive oil" in European markets has dropped as low as
 JW> 1.8 euro per kilo (about a liter). Honest producers around the world
 JW> are being undercut by cheap foreign oil." - wikipedia

Thanks for that sad story. I usually pay about $10/litre for good oil.
d
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