Inside Europe’s fight against fake olive oil

Olive oil fraud has spiked in Europe this year.

The number of cross-border EU notifications for the ingredient, which includes mislabelling, potential fraud and food safety incidents, reached 50 in the first three months of the year, according to data released by the European Commission under freedom of information laws. This represents more than a threefold increase compared to the same period six years ago.

A series of high-profile seizures of fake olive oil have also hit headlines.

In July, the Portuguese Food & Economic Security Authority seized over €57,000 (£48,000) worth of cooking oil during a raid at a refining site in Torres Novas, central Portugal, amid suspicions it would be sold as olive oil. In fact, authorities seized 177,690 labels that mentioned olive oil during the same raid.

And earlier the same month, tonnes of fake olive oil were confiscated in Puglia, Italy by police. Seven people have been accused of criminal conspiracy in connection with the seizure, with some 42 tonnes already packaged for sale and the rest ready for distribution, according to the country’s authorities.

Fraud ‘in overdrive’ ​The recent increase in incidents of olive oil fraud and mislabelling reflect the impact of squeezed supplies on the global market, explains Eurof Uppington, CEO and founder of Amfora, a Switzerland-based importer of extra virgin olive oils. “There are low levels of fraud all the time, but it’s gone into overdrive because of the rise in price and the fall in supply,” he says.

In 2021, Spain produced 44% of the world’s oil and and accounted for 59% of international sales, according to the International Olive Oil Council, with a significant proportion of that production taking place in the southern agricultural region of Andalusia. But record-breaking high spring temperatures in 2022, followed by unseasonable drought and then extreme flooding in 2023 destroyed some half of the area’s crops. “That rarely happens, having two failed harvests in a row hasn’t happened in 30 years or so,” adds Uppington. “It’s meant there’s been a huge drop in global stocks and massive price increases.” In fact, figures from market analyst Mintec Global showed a record high of €9.20 per kg​ in January. “That means the rewards for the fraudsters are so much greater.”

The precise type of adulteration within olive oil can vary significantly. On the one hand, as appears to be the case with the two recent raids in Southern Europe, “you have the criminal groups, which are mixing dyes and other ingredients which have nothing to do with olive oil and selling it as extra virgin (EVOO),” says Uppington.

But adulteration can also be far more subtle and harder to detect, with some companies combining extra virgin olive oil with lower grade oils, refined oils or even lampante​ (lamp oil) to meet orders, he believes.  Walter Zanre, UK CEO at Filippo Berio, has spoken of an overall deterioration in supermarket quality, with flavour defects detected in competing products that mean they shouldn’t be labelled as EVOO. ‘At times we feel we are not on a level playing field as some bottlers are knowingly using oils that fail to meet the EVOO criteria,’ he said​.

Zero tolerance ​“The damage caused by olive oil fraud is multifaceted,” says Dean Harper, chef and director at Harper Fine Dining. “It deceives consumers who believe they’re purchasing high-quality, authentic products, while also undermining the reputation of genuine producers and threatening the livelihoods of honest businesses within the industry.”

In addition, “the health implications of consuming fraudulent olive oil, which often contain lower grade oils or harmful additives, can be significant, so many have grown increasingly jaded and cynical towards the olive oil supply chain.”

“Research suggests that when consumers become aware of food fraud, they may become less willing to pay premium prices for products,” agrees Corey Nelson, chief innovation officer and co-founder at Seed Oil Free Alliance. “While unfortunate for the olive oil industry, the lack of regulatory oversight and transparency in the space have created conditions that are ripe for fraud and consumer uncertainty. Perhaps both issues could be addressed by increased monitoring, reporting, and transparency.”

For its part, the European Commission has insisted it has ‘zero tolerance for fraud.’ Though it has pointed out that detecting and fighting food fraud is ultimately the responsibility for individual member states, it can step in to facilitate cooperation for cross-border violations and said the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network ‘allows us to fill information gaps and to tackle cross-border fraud in a coordinated, unified manner.’ The network has already thwarted some major fraud cases, it points out.

And for premium producers like Uppington, there is an unexpected upside. “Our olive oil is literally the best you can buy and – because of the increase in adulteration – some restaurants are more interested in the safety and transparency that comes with our product,” he says. “They know exactly where it comes from, they can talk to the farmers, we’ve got the certification, all the lab tests… They can trust us that we’re not selling dodgy stuff.”