Contacts: Bob Bauer, President NAOOA, 732-922-3008;
Bernice Neumann, Exponent PR, 407-803-2164
International Olive Council Blasts California Study
Statement assures consumers of quality and health benefits of imported olive oils
NEPTUNE, NJ (JULY 27, 2010) – The world’s authority on olive oil quality has blasted a just-published study funded by California olive growers that falsely states that imported oils fail quality standards. The International Olive Council (IOC) critique outlines a series of problems with the study including use of testing methods rejected by the IOC as unreliable, absence of the typical follow-up tests by unbiased laboratories to validate anomalies and a sample size that is not statistically significant.
Both the IOC and the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) — the largest olive oil trade association in the United States and Canada — reiterate that consumers can buy imported olive oil with confidence. Imported olive oils make up 99 percent of the olive oil sold in the U.S.
“Consumers can trust the quality, purity and value of heart-healthy imported olive oils,” said Bob Bauer, president of NAOOA. “The NAOOA abides by the strict production, labeling and testing standards for the IOC, because these standards ensure customers in the U.S. get what they pay for.”
Every year, the NAOOA tests more than 200 samples of imported olive oils across the U.S. in IOC-certified labs. To put that in perspective, the University of California at Davis study tested a much smaller sample size of oils pulled only from California markets.
The statistically insignificant samples were tested using certain outdated and unapproved methods rejected by science and the IOC. The IOC has repeatedly rejected certain tests because they have not proven to be reliable.
In addition, the UC Davis study, potentially biased by its funding from California olive growers, was self-published rather than published in a peer-reviewed journal.
For 20 years, the NAOOA, in conjunction with the IOC, has ensured that American and Canadian customers can buy quality, pure and heart-healthy olive oils produced in Europe and the Middle East. And every year, the NAOOA works with the IOC to consider the use of new science and technology to improve testing methods for quality and purity of olive oils.
“Of the olive oil sold in stores throughout the U.S. tested by the NAOOA, on average approximately 99 percent meets the internationally recognized and science-based IOC standards,” said Bauer. “Our testing represents a true picture of what American consumers buy in grocery and specialty stores.”
To further assure customers of the quality and authenticity of imported olive oil, the NAOOA established a certified quality seal program to recognize and promote olive oils that measure up to the industry’s standards of excellence. The program exemplifies the NAOOA’s long-standing commitment to educate consumers about the benefits of olive oil and ensures the integrity of the product.
The non-profit IOC, created under the auspices of the United Nations, is the world’s only international and intergovernmental olive oil and table olive organization. IOC producer members account for 98 percent of world olive production. An important part of its mission includes supplying clear, accurate information and statistics on the world olive and olive oil market.
####
