olive oil adulteration
Oct. 1, 2025
Regulators Investigate After Newspaper Identifies Olive Oil Fraud in Belgium
Authorities in Belgium are investigating after a newspaper found 20 out of 32 olive oil brands failed quality standards and one was adulterated.
Sep. 22, 2025
Quality Tests Lead North American Trade Group to Take Legal Action
After a quality testing initiative turned up two instances of fraud from more than 200 samples, the North American Olive Oil Association said it will take legal action against the producers.
Jun. 23, 2025
Olive Oil a Leading Focus in Italy’s Crackdown on Food Fraud
Italy's food fraud prevention efforts last year focused on olive oil, with over 8,200 inspections and 23% of samples showing irregularities, leading to seizures and criminal reports.
Jun. 16, 2025
New Method Detects Olive Oil Adulteration, Reduces Environmental Impact
Researchers have developed a fast, cost-effective method to detect olive oil adulteration using side-front face fluorescence spectroscopy.
Dec. 5, 2024
An Accusation of Widespread Fraud Sparks Controversy in Spain
The general secretary of the giant Spanish cooperative Dcoop accused bottlers of selling sunflower oil blends labeled as olive oil.
Aug. 26, 2024
Italian Police Official Explains How Olive Oil Fraud Works
As the ways in which olive oil fraud is perpetrated have evolved, law enforcement has worked hard to keep up.
Jul. 18, 2024 Business
Details Emerge in Seizure of Counterfeit Olive Oil in Puglia
Apr. 9, 2024 News Briefs
Discovery of Adulterated Olive Oil Kindles Debate Over Testing in Northern Cyprus
Mar. 19, 2024 News Briefs
Mar. 10, 2024 World
Dec. 12, 2023 Business
Authorities in Brazil Seize 9,000 Bottles of Fraudulent Olive Oil
Dec. 7, 2023
Police in Spain and Italy Uncover Olive Oil Fraud Ring
A Europol investigation led to the arrest of eleven accused of adulterating extra virgin olive oil with other products.
Nov. 15, 2023
Trade Group Announces Olive Oil Quality Testing Initiative
Faced with low supply and high prices, the North American Olive Oil Association says it seeks to deter dishonest actors.
Nov. 28, 2022
Low Availability and Rising Prices Spark Concerns of Olive Oil Fraud in Morocco
Already-high olive oil prices could rise a further 25 percent, which would put the product out of reach of many of the country’s consumers.
Dec. 15, 2021
Brightland Drops Claims that Most Olive Oils in U.S. Are Adulterated, Rancid
The California-based company volunteered to remove statements from its website after the North American Olive Oil Association filed a complaint.
Oct. 21, 2021
Italian Trade Group Backs Pan-European Traceability Rules
In wake of the new legislation passed in Spain, the Italian producer association said it is time for all European countries to adopt the same practices.
May. 18, 2021
New Testing Method Simplifies Elemental Analysis of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Samples
Using the new method, researchers could more quickly and accurately identify chemical elements in olive oil, helping determine provenance and identify adulteration.
Apr. 1, 2021
Researchers Identify Main Types of Olive Oil Fraud, Propose Solutions
A scientific review identified the most prevalent types of olive oil fraud and proposed countermeasures including more cooperation among regulatory bodies.
Feb. 23, 2017
Investigation Opened in Spain for Adulterated Olive Oil Exported to Italy
Spain received an international judicial cooperation request from Italy after the country conducted several investigations which confirmed the falsification of oil products from Andalusia.
Nov. 22, 2016
Portugal Seizes Adulterated Olive Oil in Raid
Portuguese food standards y agency ASAE seized 6,000 liters of fake olive oil from a company in the town of Penamacor.
May. 30, 2016
Spain's Civil Guard Seizes 120 Tons of Fake Olive Oil
Farmers alerted police that some companies may have been manipulating olive oil with biodiesel, with the intention to distribute it on the market as olive oil.
Feb. 4, 2016
More Mislabeled Oil and Dangerous Colored Olives Seized in Italian Raids
Another major seizure of mislabeled olive oil was announced hours before another raid found table olives colored with a hazardous substance to hide blemishes.
Jan. 25, 2016
In Italy, Reactions to the '60 Minutes' Report on Olive Oil from Anger to Resolve
A report dedicated to mafia involvement in Italian agriculture, and especially the olive oil sector, by CBS News magazine ‘60 Minutes’ on January 3, naturally raised various reactions. Taking a cue from recent scandals involving adulterated olive oil, CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker suspected the threat of mafia entanglement throughout the whole “Made in Italy” industry,
Jan. 3, 2016
Mafia Control of Olive Oil the Topic of '60 Minutes' Report
Before millions of viewers who had just watched the Denver Broncos defeat the San Diego Chargers in a close late-season football game, '60 Minutes' showed how American olive oil consumers are getting ripped off by the Italian mob.
Jan. 3, 2016
Mueller Connects Unseemly Events in Italian Olive Oil Sector
Investigative author Tom Mueller finds a common thread running through the stories of greed, corruption and crisis in Italian agriculture.
Jan. 1, 2016
'60 Minutes' Looks at Olive Oil Adulteration in Italy
This Sunday, the most successful program in U.S. television history will delve into the adulteration of extra virgin olive oil in Italy and mafia involvement in the agricultural sector.