Germany's consumer watchdog warns olive oil quality is falling

Published Apr 11, 2024

Tridge summary

In Germany, a study by the national consumer watchdog Stiftung Warentest revealed that a third of the 19 brands of extra virgin olive oil tested failed to meet the necessary standards, with only two brands passing the test. This decline in quality has been attributed to factors such as climate change and poor Mediterranean harvests, leading to rising retail prices and quality issues. Retailers like Edeka and Kaufland have responded by recalling several products. Boutique olive oil seller Ehrenberger highlights the importance of quality control and direct producer relationships, noting the challenge of educating consumers about olive oil quality amidst a market dominated by large retailers selling inferior products. The situation underscores the need for improved cultivation and processing practices in the olive oil industry.

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Original content

The results of random testing by Germany’s national consumer watchdog have led to questions about the quality of extra virgin olive oil being shipped into Europe’s largest economy. Stiftung Warentest collected 19 brands labeled as extra virgin olive oil from major retailers and subjected them to physiochemical and organoleptic testing. The watchdog found that six samples failed to meet standards to be labeled extra virgin, featuring a median of defects above zero. “Those olive oils should not have been sold as extra virgin,” the testers wrote in their conclusions, published by Der Spiegel. “The rancid notes are due to contact with oxygen and in some cases to damaged raw materials such as damaged olives.” A further 11 samples featured physiochemical and organoleptic properties only slightly above the threshold separating virgin and extra virgin olive oil. Only two samples were well within the parameters defining extra virgin olive oil. “These results are unsurprising and align ...

Source: Olive Oil Times