Olive oil adulteration-again

Olive oil is the most adulterated food product in the world. Expensive to produce, fraudsters will mix a small amount of olive oil with other kinds of low-quality oils, such as hazelnut oil. Scientific instrument manufactures have risen to the challenge of identification over the years, debuting equipment and developing advanced spectroscopic methods that can quickly and reliably verify the quality of olive oil.

Another factor Greek prices are dropping is the growing concern over EEVO adulteration. This year, some Greek olive oil companies began importing repaso olive oil from Spain. Repaso is the process of passing the olive paste waste through the centrifuge a second time with hot water.
      This way, the remainder of olive oil left behind in the olive paste is extracted. Some Greek producers mix it with EEVO; something that Italian producers have been accused of for years. Greek legislation prohibits mills to produce repaso oil.

The “Hellenization” of Spanish repaso olive oil was suspected to be the main reason prices of Greek EVOO have dropped, according to Olive Oil Times. The Greek government has pledged to strengthen controls to protect the quality of local olive oil.