LABELLING

OLIVE OIL Amongst other things, the labelling shall mention the
name of the category and its specific characteristics

Category of olive oil :

Extra virgin olive oil
Most of world’s olive oil is produced in the EU. Virgin olive oil
Olive oil composed
On average, 3 million tonnes of olive oil is produced around the
of refined olive oils
world every year. Around 2 million tonnes of this production
If geographical and virgin olive oils
takes place in the EU. The main Member States involved are:
Spain (66% of EU production); Italy (15%); Greece (13%); and indication : Olive-pomace oil
Portugal (5%).
PDO (Protected
designation
of origin)
Best before

BEST BEFORE: 27/03/22
PGI (Protected date
geographical
indication)
66% 15% 13% 5%
The EU is also the biggest consumer of olive oil, with around Origin
1.5 million tonnes of olive oil (50% of world production)
consumed within the EU every year, and the biggest exporter of
olive oil, exporting around 570 000 tonnes per year.

OLIVE OIL CHARACTERISTICS OTHER CATEGORIES OF

Extra virgin olive oils and virgin olive oils are obtained directly from olives and OLIVE OILS FOR REFINING
solely by mechanical means. The oils have a wide range of characteristics such as OR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES
organoleptic properties (taste, colour, smell, feel) which depend on various factors such
as the type of olive, soil, climatic conditions, harvest date etc. Lampante olive oil
is the lowest quality virgin olive oil. It has substantial
sensory defects (taste and/or smell) which can be the
Extra virgin olive oil Virgin olive oil
result of bad processing of the olives, or of weather
is the category with the is also fruity but has incidents altering the olive fruits while on the trees.
highest quality from an some slight sensory Lampante olive oil must be refined in order to remove
organoleptic point of view, defects. Its acidity shall its defects. As such, it cannot be sold to consumers.
it has no defects and is not exceed 2%. After refining, the oil obtained is known as ‘refined olive oil’.
fruity. Its acidity level shall
not exceed 0.8%. Refined olive oil
has little or no olive aroma, flavour, or colour. Refined
olive oil cannot be sold to consumers. It is blended with
Other categories of olive oils can also be sold directly to consumers extra virgin olive oil and/or virgin olive oil to make the
“olive oil composed of...” category.
Olive oil composed of refined Olive-pomace oil
Crude olive-pomace oil
olive oil and virgin olive oils results of the mixture of
refined olive-pomace oil with Olive-pomace is the residual paste obtained after the oil
results of a mixture of refined is extracted from the olives. The oil obtained out of this
olive oil with extra virgin and/or extra virgin and/or virgin olive
oils. It must have a degree of paste is the crude olive-pomace oil.
virgin olive oils. Its acidity degree
shall not exceed 1%. acidity not exceeding 1%. Refined olive-pomace oil
is obtained after the refining of crude olive-pomace oil.
Blended with extra virgin and/or virgin olive oils, it can be
Agriculture marketed to consumers as olive-pomace oil.
and rural
development
PRODUCTION OF VIRGIN OLIVE OILS
The process for the production of extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil and lampante
olive oil is exactly the same.

HARVEST AND TRANSPORTATION

TO THE OIL MILL

The harvesting of olives usually starts in October and

ends in February. Depending of the harvesting date and
of the maturation of the olive fruits, the olive oils ob-
tained may have different properties. After the olives
have been picked up in olive groves, they need to be
transported to the oil mill as soon as possible, to avoid
processes of fermentation.

AT THE OIL MILL

Leaf removal by fans and washing operations

The olives are washed under jets of water to remove
all foreign matter to avoid negative consequences on
olive oil organoleptic characteristics.
Olive processing (mechanical extraction)
The clean olives then pass, with their core, into the
grinder. It is important during this mixing stage to
respect a temperature below 27°C. This manufacturing
procedure is a guarantee of quality and the guarantee
of an oil extracted by cold pressure. In a decanter the
liquid separates from the solid. The remaining dry
dough is called olive-pomace.
Storage of olive oil
The oil is then properly stored in large, usually metallic
containers. Before it is marketed, the olive oil is analysed
in order to determine whether it belongs to extra virgin oil,
virgin olive oil or lampante olive oil category.

RETAIL

The extra virgin and virgin olive oils are bottled and
labelled with appropriate mandatory and optional
indications. Bottles should be kept away from light
and warm temperatures until they are transported to
retailers and sold to consumers. Those conditions of
preservation are key to avoid an oxidation of the oil
that will degrade its quality.

MARKETING STANDARDS
AND CONTROLS
European legislation defines the different
categories of olive oils and their characteristics.
It also provides rules on packaging and labelling.
EU Member States perform controls on olive oil
samples to ensure that those rules are respected
and that the products sold to consumers meet
their expectations.