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Label of a bottle of extra virgin olive oil

How to read the label of a bottle of extra virgin olive oil

The label of a bottle of extra virgin olive oil serves as a true compass for the consumer at the time of purchase, as it contains all the necessary information about the product’s substantial quality. The label and traceability represent, today, an essential and winning combination to gain consumer trust; indeed, customers, worried by recent scandals (BSE, dioxin, etc.), increasingly demand labels that guarantee maximum transparency and traceability of food products. In other words, labeling is the set of tasks: drawings, trademarks, images, symbols, etc., that describe the food product; therefore, it serves as a guide that the discerning consumer reads carefully.

Legislative Decree No. 109 of 27/01/92 and subsequent amendments, implementing directives No. 89/395/EEC and No. 89/396/EEC of the Council of 14/06/1989, introduced important rules regarding the labeling of food products, their packaging, presentation, and advertising.

Label of a bottle of Italian extra virgin olive oil

Now, considering the specific case of olive oil, labeling, presentation, and advertising, in addition to being governed as a basic norm by Legislative Decree 109/92, is further regulated by Regulation (EC) No. 1019/2002. Regarding labeling, Article 3 of the D.Lgs. states that prepackaged food products intended for consumers must bear the following indications:

Product Name

This is a common name that gives a quick description of the product; it is generally prescribed by specific laws governing the sale of that type of food, or in the absence of a specific norm, one relies on a name established by customs and traditions. In the case of olive oil, Regulation (EC) No. 1019/2002 states that the label must include the product names in accordance with Article 35 of Regulation No. 136/66/EEC; there are the following product types: extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, olive oil, and olive pomace oil. Furthermore, the same Regulation specifies that from November 1, 2003, some information about the oil category must be indicated on the label: a) for extra virgin olive oil, it follows “olive oil of superior category obtained directly from olives solely by mechanical means“; b) for virgin olive oil, it follows “olive oil obtained directly from olives solely by mechanical means“; c) for other categories, reference is made to the EC Regulation.

Ingredient List

Article 7 of the D.Lgs. states that the indication of ingredients is not required for products consisting of a single ingredient, which is the case of olive oil;

Net Quantity

The decree states that the quantity for prepackaged liquid food products must be expressed in volume units, using liters (l or L), centiliters (cl), or milliliters (ml); it also specifies that edible oils up to 10 liters must be packaged exclusively in the following nominal quantities expressed in liters: 0.10-0.25-0.50-0.75-1.00-2.00-3.00-5.00-10.00 in hermetically sealed containers. These provisions have been partially replaced and supplemented, concerning olive oil, by Regulation 1019/1992, which allows a maximum container capacity of up to 5 liters (up to 25 liters for oils intended for the community according to D.M. 14/11/2003);

Minimum Shelf Life (MSL)

This term refers to the date until which the food product retains its specific properties under proper storage conditions; for olive oil, these properties coincide with physical, chemical, and organoleptic characteristics. The label will indicate “best before” followed by the date in the day, month, and year format, which for olive oils is typically 12-18 months from bottling; and if particular precautions are necessary to ensure the product’s preservation, the indications are completed by stating the storage conditions, which in the case of olive oil will read “Store away from light and heat sources”;

Name or Business Name

Location of the producer or packager or a seller established in the EU, and the address of the production or packaging facility; the address of the manufacturing or packaging facility must always be indicated; it may be omitted only if it coincides with that of the producer or packager or seller;

Batch

The decree states that by batch, we mean a set of sales units of a food product, which for olive oil coincides with bottles or cans produced, manufactured, or packaged under practically identical conditions; the batch is identifiable by a number followed by the letter “L,” and it can be useful for identifying non-compliant products on the market to be withdrawn;

Environmental Symbols

These are symbols that encourage the consumer not to dispose of containers or packaging in the environment after use (Article 3 of D.M. 28/06/89). Texts, symbols, and pictograms can be used;

Place of Origin or Provenance

Legislative Decree 109/1992 includes this indication among the mandatory ones, but for olive oil, it remains facultative. In fact, Regulation 1019/2002 states that the designation of origin may appear on the packaging or label exclusively for virgin and extra virgin olive oil;

Other Optional Indications

Among these, we recall: a) metrological symbols, such as the lowercase letter “e,” which constitutes the CE mark for prepackaged goods consistent with Directive No. 106/75; b) materials used for liquid containers; olive oil containers must be marked with a regular hexagon or circle, within which an abbreviation corresponding to the material used for manufacturing must be indicated (CA for paper, AL for aluminum, etc.); c) optional indications under Regulation 1019/2002 subject to obligations, including “first cold pressing” for virgin and extra-virgin oils obtained at less than 27°C with traditional extraction systems (hydraulic presses), or “cold-extracted” for oils of the same type obtained at less than 27°C with systems of centrifugal extraction of olive paste, and then for organoleptic indications, only if based on analysis methods provided by EC Regulation No. 2568/91, and then the indication of acidity only if the content of waxes, peroxide index, and UV absorption are also indicated, and finally nutritional values, obligatory if at least one nutritional information is indicated on the label.

Another fundamental indication for the consumer: The price of the oil! In fact, if you find yourself in front of an extra virgin oil at a price per unit significantly below the market average, one should always be cautious.

Here are some tips on why to consume extra virgin olive oil and why to buy oil directly from the mill!

Why you should buy the olive oil from an oil mill?

Discover our tips on why you should use only extra virgin olive oil and buy the oil directly from the mill!

BASIC OIL TASTING KIT

FREE ORDER

The KIT is a sample pack of 2 bottles of extra virgin olive oil: Fruity and Balanced. You only pay €16.50 for shipping from Italy
Tasting kit of Puglian extra virgin olive oil from Salento, free of charge, complimentary
Tasting kit of Puglian extra virgin olive oil from Salento, free of charge, complimentary
BASIC OIL TASTING KIT

FREE ORDER

The KIT is a sample pack of 2 bottles of extra virgin olive oil: Fruity and Balanced. You only pay €16.50 for shipping from Italy