Olive oil labeling may be a slippery business

The consumer organisation Choice is pushing to have a production or harvest date listed on bottles of extra virgin olive oil, but that’s not a simple matter when it comes to our oil.

Paul Miller, president of the Australian Olive Oil Association said  Tasmanian olive oils could be disadvantaged by labelling that does not take into account the natural variations in the keeping of quality Australian olive oils.

A test is available – and is mandatory for oils accredited under the Australian Olive Association code of practice – that speeds up the rate of oil degradation in laboratory conditions and can provide a true use-by date.

Miller said a good Tasmanian olive oil might come up with a use-by date two and a half years beyond bottling, whereas a mainland olive oil from a warmer climate might only have a six-month shelf life as a truly fresh product.

Unlike wine, extra virgin olive oil does not improve with age and as a rule-of-thumb, it is best consumed before it reaches its first birthday.

But how can you do that if the label does not indicate when the oil was bottled?

An oil earns extra-virgin status by having less than 0.8 per cent fatty acids and through extraction only by mechanical means – not by being heated for instance. But it also must meet a taste test and be free of faults.

In theory, an oil could meet all the scientifically measureable qualifications for extra virginity, but fail the taste test. And an oil that begins life as extra virgin may not still be in that condition 18 months after being pressed.

Until this year, a bottling or harvest date on Tasmanian olive oil would not mean much. In the past, most Tasmanian olive oil has sold out well within a year and before the next year’s crop is available.

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