Congress Directs FDA To Create an Olive Oil sampling and Testing System

 The Agriculture Committee has directed the FDA to take a sampling of imported olive oil (95% of the olive oil in the US is imported) to determine if it is adulterated or misbranded, and report to Congress within 270 days on its findings and what actions the FDA will take to ensure consumer safety and proper labeling of imported olive oil. Congress' report stated, "The committee is concerned with reports that consistently describe the prevalence of adulterated and fraudulently labeled olive oil imported into the United States and sold to American consumers."

Whereas many in the olive oil industry have been pushing for stricter law enforcement for years, the FDA is now getting involved because of potential serious health hazards.

The problem: Many (well-known) olive oil companies have been known to bottle oil as "extra virgin olive oil," when in fact, the oil does not meet that standard. Many times it is poor quality oil that has been refined and/or blended with other oils to make it appear to be extra virgin to the untrained eye.

The health hazard lies within the blending of oils - Some products labeled as olive oil may contain seed oil, which poses a serious health risk to consumers who are allergic to it.