The vast majority of imported "extra virgin olive oil" in Australian supermarkets fails to meet local and international standards, renewing concerns shoppers are paying a premium for inferior products.
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Tests of 27 imported bottles sold at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Foodland revealed 85 per cent failed to meet the voluntary Australian Standard and 78 per cent failed to meet the International Olive Council (IOC) Standard.
The research, commissioned by the Australian Olive Association (AOA) and conducted by internationally accredited labs, shows half of the oils failed because they tasted "rancid, musty, fusty or [had] some other organoleptic defect".
"It's like buying a Rolls Royce and finding a V-dub engine in it; people would be horrified," said Lisa Rowntree, chief executive officer of the AOA, which represents local growers and businesses.
"If we had the Australian Standard mandated, many of the oils sitting in supermarkets as 'extra virgin' would suddenly have labels saying 'refined', 'pomous', or 'virgin', which all have a place but need to be appropriately priced."
Consumers have long paid a premium for extra virgin in the belief the fresh juice from olives is packed with antioxidants, is low in acidity and absent of flavour defects.
But the global industry has been rocked by a series of scandals, with a recent US 60 Minutes segment revealing up to 80 per cent of extra virgin olive oil sold in America did not meet legal grades because they have been adulterated with cheap sunflower or canola oil, or are a different oil altogether - scented and coloured with "a few drops of chlorophyll".
Last November, Italian authorities launched an investigation into seven olive oil producers - including Bertolli and Sasso - accusing them of dressing up cheap oil as extra virgin.
Deoleo, which owns the Bertolli and Sasso brands, said it guaranteed consumers its extra virgin products were 100 per cent extra virgin olive oils and compliant with IOC and EU standards.
"Moreover, since the end of 2015, Deoleo has been voluntarily implementing on all extra-virgin olive oils including our Bertolli brand sold in Australia, stricter quality parameters, which are more stringent than the EU law," a spokesman said.
Standing amid his 2.1 million olive trees in north-western Victoria, olive oil producer Rob McGavin from Cobram Estate said Australia was not immune to olive oil fraud because of the industry's global nature.
"The government wants the industry to self-regulate and it's always a difficult issue because it's so tempting to cheat in this industry because you can put cheap oils in with olive oil and, if you don't get caught, great days," he said, while his plump olives were being mechanically harvested nearby.
"But I think the government needs to enforce or mandate the Australian Standard because it is a fresh product that does go off with age and contains healthy attributes sought by consumers."
While buoyed by Cobram's multiple wins at New York International Olive Oil Competition in April, Mr McGavin said they were still battling with the misconception among consumers that Australia lacked the know-how to produce world-class extra virgin olive oil.
"Every two hours our harvesters leave and go back to the plants, meaning the fruit isn't using up as much anti-oxidants, and it's crushed within an hour," he said.
"Europe doesn't have a model where someone owns the grove and owns the processing plant. You have these little farmers averaging a few hectares, as hobbies on weekends, and massive co-ops where things aren't well co-ordinated."
Renee Reilly, general manager of the Australian Olive Oil Association (AOOA), which represents importers, dismissed the lab tests and calls for the Australian Standard to be made law, saying the IOC was sufficient.
"There are no recent test results from AOOA's annual quality testing program that suggests that Australians are routinely sold inferior, adulterated or deliberately misrepresentative oils masquerading as extra virgin," she said.
"Historical 'testing results' reported by other associations, such as AOA, indicating high levels of alleged failures have generally been conducted by non-independent parties or at laboratories seeking to promote the need for mandating the Australian Standard."
Ms Rowntree from the AOA said the tests were conducted at IOC and National Association of Testing Authorities accredited labs.
"The trend over the last four years, ever since the Government decided not to mandate the Australian Standard, indicates that the failure rate of imported oils labelled as EVOO has increased from 60 per cent to 85 per cent," she said.
While a Choice test in 2010 rated Bertolli's product among the lowest - based on the IOC standard and sensory tests - Deoleo said it was working on increasing quality.
"It is true the entire olive oil sector has recently been under the spotlight, and this has required all our attention and commitment under the direction of Deoleo's new management team, in order to react effectively," said a spokesman from Deoleo Australia.
The writer travelled to Boundary Bend in north-west Victoria as a guest of Cobram Estate.
Jargon Buster (credit: Choice)
"Virgin" oil is extracted from olives by a mechanical process without excessive heat, additives or solvents.
"Extra virgin" oil, in addition to the above, has low acidity (0.8 per cent or less) and should comply with other technical specifications, as well as being free from taste defects.
"Light", "lite" or "pure" olive oils have been refined through a combination of physical (heat) and chemical processes, resulting in an oil with no distinctive aroma, colour or taste. A small percentage of virgin oil is then mixed with this oil to give it flavour. Refining removes antioxidants, so these oils aren't as healthy as extra virgin. They don't have less fat or fewer kilojoules than regular oils.
"Cold pressed" and "first press" are outdated and unhelpful marketing terms. All virgin oils have to be "cold extracted" – extracted from the olive without the use of excessive heat (manufacturers can extract more oil from olives with heat but the quality suffers). Traditional hydraulic presses have been almost entirely replaced by centrifuges, and all virgin oil comes from a single extraction – there's no second press.
