olive oil fraud
Jan. 20, 2026
Spain Announces Expanded Anti-Fraud Controls for Olive Oil Sector
Spain has announced a new set of official controls and anti-fraud measures covering the entire olive oil and pomace supply chain, with implementation set to begin in 2026.
Dec. 8, 2025
Italy Warns of Rising Fraud and Violence Amid High Olive Oil Prices
Italian authorities seized more than 14,000 liters of untraced extra virgin olive oil in Puglia and reported armed thefts of additional shipments, underscoring a spike in fraud and criminal activity fueled by high market prices.
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.
Aug. 5, 2025
France Uncovers Olive Oil Fraud in Annual Investigation
Despite the findings, officials maintained that olive oil fraud is not on the rise, citing improved detection and stronger communication between agencies.
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 Grades
New Method Detects Olive Oil Adulteration, Reduces Environmental Impact
Dec. 5, 2024 Business
An Accusation of Widespread Fraud Sparks Controversy in Spain
Nov. 4, 2024 Business
Aug. 26, 2024 Business
Jul. 18, 2024 Business
Details Emerge in Seizure of Counterfeit Olive Oil in Puglia
Apr. 9, 2024
Discovery of Adulterated Olive Oil Kindles Debate Over Testing in Northern Cyprus
High olive oil prices and an import ban by the de facto state have created fertile ground for unscrupulous actor’s in the local market.
Mar. 19, 2024
Growers in Croatia Await Contest Results
Industry advocates and producers see the NYIOOC as a way to showcase Croatia's quality and combat adulteration and fraud.
Mar. 10, 2024
Researchers Use Ultrasound to Detect Adulterated Olive Oil
They could detect extra virgin olive oil adulterated with as little as one percent sunflower or refined olive oil.
Dec. 12, 2023
Authorities in Brazil Seize 9,000 Bottles of Fraudulent Olive Oil
The seizure comes two weeks after a separate raid where 16,000 liters of product marketed as extra virgin olive oil and deemed unfit for human consumption was destroyed.
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.
May. 15, 2023
Smart Labels on Display at Italian Food Show
One of Italy’s premier food fairs highlighted tracking technologies to promote traceability and prevent fraud.
Jan. 16, 2020
Tunisian Olive Oil Producer Will Use Blockchain Technology to Fight Fraud
Combating food fraud and ensuring authenticity will be an important part of a company’s success moving forward.
Jan. 15, 2020
New Chemical Approach to Compromised Extra Virgin Olive Oil
UC Davis researchers have developed a more rapid and cost-effective process to determine the reliability of a product bottled with an extra virgin olive oil label.
Jan. 14, 2020
Botanical Council Publishes Overview of Olive Oil Adulteration
The American Botanical Council has released a report detailing the causes of adulteration of olive oil and the issues surrounding olive oil counterfeiting, mislabeling and fraud.
Oct. 7, 2019
Tom Mueller's New Book Delves Into the World of Whistleblowers
As whistleblowers dominate headlines in the United States, Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud shines a light on the history of whistleblowing and people who do it.
May. 21, 2019
150,000 Liters of Fraudulent Oil Seized by Europol
The criminal organization responsible for the olive oil fraudsters pocketed nearly $9 million annually from their illicit activity.
Apr. 1, 2019
Report Warns of White Collar Crimes and 'Mafia 3.0'
Threats to the olive oil sector are changing as white collar crimes become more prevalent, officials said.
Mar. 11, 2019
Omics Ensure the Authenticity of Portuguese Olive Oils
Genomics and metabolomics are at the core of a research study to authenticate and trace Portuguese extra virgin olive oils.
Feb. 27, 2019
Poor Harvests Lead to More Vigilance in Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulently labeled olive oil in light of the poor European harvest this year.