Extra Virgin Olive Oil: How to Read the Label

The label is one of the least static parts of extra virgin olive oil production: regulations in this regard are constantly changing, adding and deleting obligations and wording to be indicated on the bottle.

We can say that olive oil labeling is divided into two parts: that with mandatory wording to be reported and that with optional information.
Mandatory information is rigidly regulated by both national and international regulations and ideally goes to help consumers understand what they are actually buying; optional information, on the other hand, helps producers distinguish their products in the marketplace based on purity and excellence.

As mentioned just above, the information changes depending on the regulations; in fact, as of December 13, 2016, companies had to equip themselves for two changes to be reported on the label: one related to nutritional values (actually already contained in EU Regulation 1169/2011, but whose deadline ran from that very date), and the other to the minimum shelf life.

Extra virgin olive oil label is basically composed of eight basic points :

• Sales name and origin
• Oil category
• Net quantity
• Ways and times of storage
• Manufacturer and lot
• Nutritional information
• Indication of the collection campaign
• Unregulated information

Let us now go on to analyze each of them in detail:

Sales name and origin

Be wary of labels that are opaque, have tiny print, and are unclear about the origin of products. Labels should well indicate brand name, production process, place of production and product characteristics.

Food labels must meet 3 basic characteristics: they must be clear, legible and indelible.

With regard to extra virgin olive oil, for example, they must state the product name, sales name, nominal volume and expiration date by which to consume it.

All bottles of extra virgin olive oil bear the words “Superior category olive oil obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical processes” on the label.

First and foremost, oil labels must include the “Sales Denomination” information: the consumer must know whether it is extra virgin olive oil, obtained directly from olives and only by mechanical processes, virgin olive oil i.e., olive oil obtained directly from olives, only by mechanical processes, but not as good quality as extra virgin olive oil, olive oil composed of refined oils and virgin olive oils, and olive-pomace oil.

The label of extra virgin olive oil or virgin olive oil must also mandatorily state the country of origin, which may be an EU member state, a non-EU state or the entire European Union: an indication not applicable for olive oil composed of refined olive oils and virgin olive oils, and for olive-pomace oil and olive oil.

The designation of origin may also be represented by a protected designation of origin or a protected geographical indication and must, in the latter case, correspond to the geographical area in which the olives were harvested and in which the mill in which the oil was extracted is located. If, on the other hand, the olives were harvested in a Member State or in a Third Country, other than that in which the mill in which the oil was extracted is located, the designation of origin must bear the following wording: Extra virgin or virgin olive oil, obtained in the Union (or name of the Union country) from olives harvested in the Union (or name of the Union country).

The indications that are in effect to date stipulate that, in the same section, the protected designation of origin(PDO) or protected geographical indication(PGI), if any, should be stated, as stipulated in EU Regulation No. 1151/2012.

Sales name means exactly the description of the product, provided for by Italian and EU regulations. Sales names are, for example, “extra virgin olive oil,” “wine,” “durum wheat semolina pasta,” etc.

Finally, the sales name and the indication of origin must appear in the same area and must be contiguous, that is, not interspersed with other elements.

Oil category

The oil is classified on the basis of the quality of the olives, their freshness, the product obtained, especially according to CHEMICAL PARAMETERS (EC Reg. 1234/2007 Annex XVI) and ORGANOLEPTIC (C.O.I. method – EC Reg. 640/2008).

Internationally, olive oil is divided into three major macro categories:

• extra virgin olive oil, obtained from olives and only by mechanical processes with a maximum acidity of 0.8 g per 100 g (i.e., 0.8 percent);
• Virgin olive oil, obtained directly from olives and only by mechanical procedures with a maximum acidity of 2%;
• lampante olive oil, an oil with several defects, including acidity exceeding 2 percent, and for that reason subjected to deacidification, deodorization and decolorization treatments that render it odorless, colorless and tasteless.

Of these three broad categories, only the first two are suitable for human consumption as is. The third type, lampante, so called because in the past it was used to fuel oil lamps, in fact has an unpleasant odor and is not suitable for food. The classification of oil is carried out through chemical analysis and an organoleptic test, called the “panel test”, applicable only to virgin olive oils, which “allows them to be classified according to the intensity of perceived defects and fruitiness, determined by a group of selected, trained and controlled tasters, formed into panels.” The parameters for quality tests are defined by the IOC (Council of International Olive Oil), an international institute founded in Madrid in 1959 that groups the major olive oil producing nations.

The label, a guarantee of transparency and quality, represents an important tool for the consumer who is thus placed in a position to make informed choices based also on their own needs.

Net quantity

The unit of volume expressed in liters(L or l), centiliters(cl) or milliliters(ml) must be declared. The sizes that can be used for marketing to the final consumer are 0.100.25- 0.50- 0.75- 1.00- 2.00 -3.00- 5.00.

Oils shall be presented to the final consumer pre-packaged in packages with a maximum capacity of 5 liters; For oils intended for consumption in restaurants, hospitals, canteens or similar communities, maximum 25 liters.

Such packages are equipped with a closure system that loses its integrity after first use and bear a label that complies with legal requirements.

Any virgin and extra virgin oil produced or marketed in Europe must report on the label the state of origin of the olives and the mill. Even in the case of oil blends, it is mandatory to report the type and origin of the different oils of which the product is composed.

Ways and times of storage

In olive oil preservation, the main problem is rancidity, due to oxidative degradation reactions, accelerated by the presence of light. The dark color helps to prevent oxidation of the oil, and thus ensure that the process of deterioration and rancidity is slowed down.

Tinplate can also be a viable packaging system, especially since the quality of tinplate has improved over the years: it is, in fact, made from a single metal and without welding.

Consumers need to learn the importance of buying oil in containers sized for their actual use. There is no point in getting a tin or a liter bottle if you are single and eat out often. Sure, you save money, but you end up using rancid oil. A larger family that consumes a lot of oil can do this.

The date of minimum durability is the date until which the foodstuff retains its specific properties under appropriate storage conditions; it should be indicated with the words “best before” when the date contains an indication of the day or with the words “best before” in other cases, followed by either the date or the indication of where on the package it appears.

The minimum shelf life, which does not apply to rapidly perishable products (see EXPIRY DATE), is determined by the manufacturer or packer or, in the case of imported products, by the first seller established in the European Union, and is affixed under their direct responsibility.

The minimum shelf life consists of the indication in plain text and, in order, the day, month and year.

The indication of the date of minimum durability or expiry date must appear in an easily visible, clearly legible and indelible manner in a manner no less visible than those indicating the quantity of the product and in a visual field easy for the consumer to identify.

Manufacturer and lot

The label must always state who is responsible for the product. Thus, the following will appear: the name of the producer (or packer or seller), which may be replaced by a registered trademark; the location of the producer (which may be replaced by that of the packer); and the location of the production or packaging plant (which may be omitted if it coincides with the producer’s location).A lot is defined as a set of sales units, produced, manufactured or packaged under practically identical circumstances.Foodstuffs may not be offered for sale if they do not bear an indication of the batch to which they belong.The batch shall be determined by the manufacturer or packer or first seller in the EEC; it shall appear so as to be easily visible, clearly legible and indelible, and shall be preceded by the letter “L,” unless it is given in such a way as to be distinct from other labeling indications.

Nutritional information

The nutrition label can always be included and becomes mandatory when the presentation or advertising of the product indicates particular nutritional characteristics.

As of Dec. 13, 2016, according to EU Reg. 1169/2011, thelabel of extra virgin olive oil must state by law:

• energy value
• fats
• saturated fatty acids
• carbohydrates
• sugars
• protein
• halls

Indications may also appear on:

• monounsaturated fatty acids
• polyunsaturated fatty acids
• Polyols
• starch
• fibers

No nutrients or compounds (e.g., cholesterol) other than those listed are allowed in the nutrition statement.

In some cases the amounts of other nutrients, vitamins and some minerals may be indicated.

Indication of the collection campaign

Indication of the harvest year on the label of virgin and extra virgin olive oils is optional for operators if 100 percent of the contents of the container are from a single harvest year. Since the olive harvest is generally started in late autumn and ends in spring of the following year, it has been specified how to report the harvest year on the label.

Specifically, the harvesting campaign must be indicated on the label in the form of the relevant marketing year of the type 2018/2019 or in the form of the month and year of harvesting, in that order. The month corresponds to the month of extraction of the oil from the olives so olives harvested in December 2018 and milled in January 2019 should show “harvesting campaign 01/2019” and thus at the same stregue as olives harvested in January 2019 and milled in the same month.

The new regulation then authorizes member states, again in order to provide consumers with additional information on the age of an olive oil, to make it mandatory to indicate the harvest year. However, with the aim of not disrupting the functioning of the single market, this mandatory indication should be limited to national production, obtained from olives harvested on their territory and destined exclusively for national markets.

Unregulated information

The optional claims most commonly found on food labels are nutrition and health claims, so-called “claims.” The inclusion of this additional information on the label, after the mandatory ones, is optional, but this does not mean that you can include any claim and in any way.

It is often this type of information that engages the consumer the most, making the product more interesting and/or appealing than similar ones. These forms of advertising, are regulated by specific EU legislation (EC Reg. 1924/2006), which protects the consumer by prohibiting false, misleading or scientifically unproven claims.