Fresno, Calif. (AP) – Buyers of California olive oil should soon be able to tell whether they're getting what they're paying for when they buy containers labeled "extra virgin.
Starting with this year's crop, the California Olive Oil Council has made quality testing mandatory for its members. Only oils that pass a test for low acidity as well as a subjective taste test will be labeled "extra virgin."
The classification is also reserved for oil that is cold-pressed from freshly harvested olives, which gives it a rich and fruity flavor.
The council currently offers an "extra virgin" certification seal to oils made in the state that meet international standards, such as less than 1 percent free fatty acids. The program is voluntary.
An organization based in Spain regulates the quality of oil abroad, such as "virgin" or "extra virgin," measured by acidity and other factors, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that domestic producers say only where their oil came from.
The term "extra virgin" has often been used on oils of lesser virtue, and since consumers are often asked to plunk down $10, $20 or more for a small bottle, they want labels they can trust.
The COOC's seal program would put a small stamp bearing an olive branch and the words "California Olive Oil Council, Certified Extra Virgin," on qualifying oils.
Most producers welcome the requirement, seeing it as a guarantee for consumers and a protection against unscrupulous interlopers.
"The term 'extra virgin' has been abused over the years, and this is a way California can give real meaning to those words," said Bruce Golino whose olive oil won Best of Show in last year's Los Angeles County Fair.
While foreign oils dominate, in the U.S. market, almost all of the domestically produced oils come from California.
Connoisseurs today are differentiating between oils produced from Greek Kalamatas, the common Mission or Manzanillo, the Italian Frantoio, or a host of other hard to pronounce varieties. Some are even searching for the subtle effects of climate and soil on the flavor of the oil, much as vintners do with premium wine grapes.
And though most agree the industry needs recognizable and enforceable standards, some producers resent the council’s requirement, feeling it is limiting and expensive.
"I have 17 different varieties I work with," said Ed Rich who has been making and selling olive oil in Copperopolis, east of Stockton, for eight years. "I could throw in all in a jug and sell it to you as Eddie’s Special, but I don’t do that. I want the characteristics of the soil, the climate to stand out. I want to learn from the oil."
But because his specialty shop sells small quantities of several types of olive oils, and the council’s certification process costs $125 on top of the $125 that a lab will charge to test the oil’s acidity, Rich opted out of the whole process.
"I just got 20 gallons of Lucca. Am I going to pay $250 to get that certified? Nope," Rich said, after explaining he applauds the organization’s efforts to raise the quality of California olive oils, but just thinks that it is premature.
Other producers say the benefits of giving consumers some assurance about the quality of their oils far outweighs the costs.
"The term extra virgin has been abused over the years, and this is a way Californians give real meaning to those words," said Bruce Golino, whose olive oil won Best of Show in last year’s Los Angeles County Fair. He only produces a couple hundred gallons of olive oil a year, pressed from the fruit of trees he first brought back from Italy nearly 10 years ago. "The certification is our way of telling consumers what they’ve got is really extra virgin."
