Brussels, 14/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Commission adopted a new regulation aimed at laying down clearer marketing standards for olive oil intended to help shoppers throughout the EU. The new Regulation enters into force on 1 November 2002 and provides a clear framework for the labelling and presentation of olive oil in the shops. It also covers the presentation of mixes of olive oil with other vegetable oils as well as foodstuffs highlighting in the label the presence of olive oil.
To better protect the consumers, the new rules lay down the requirement that olive oil should not be sold in containers of more than five litres with a closing system where the seal is broken after first use and has proper labelling including the above-mentioned descriptions of the various categories of olive oils. With regard to mixtures of olive oil with other vegetable oils, the new regulation prohibits to highlight the presence of olive oil on the label, unless olive oil represents a minimum of 50% of the oil. With regard to margarine, sauces, mayonnaise, canned products like vegetables and fish, the food manufacturer must either indicate the share of olive oil in the total weight of the product or the percentage of olive oil as percentage of the total fat contained in the product on the label.
The new Regulation foresees a transitional period in order to allow existing containers and labels to be exhausted. Current legislation, namely the directive on labelling (dating from July 2001) and the regulation on sandwich spreads remains applicable.