INFUSED OLIVE OILS CANNOT BE CALLED “EXTRA VIRGIN”

3 July 2014, Source: various news reports
INFUSED OLIVE OILS CANNOT BE CALLED “EXTRA VIRGIN”: The International Olive Oil Council (IOC) “washed its hands” over the issue of regulating infused olive oils. It’s Executive Director, Jean Louis Barjol agreed with the infused oil lobby that the IOC could not regulate the aromatic olive oils as they cannot be judged on the basis of their organoleptic characteristics. Barjol’s stance satisfied the North American infused oil industry who wanted to operate outside the IOC’s regulatory environment. But, in effect, it represents a victory for the purists, as the aromatic olive oil industry cannot claim “extra virginity” even if they used EVOO in the initial mix. Actually, the IOC does not even regard infused oils as Olive Oils.