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<pre>In actuality, the labeling law differs from Extra Virgin to the other
varieties (pure or light). In the US, any extra virgin must designate its
country of origin in descending order of percentage. The FDA has yet to
provide a definitive ruling on pure and light olive oils because they are
studying whether the "substantial transformation" is sufficient enough to
merit an exception. The olive oil companies submit that the refining,
blending and packing of olive oil is an art and that the practice of doing
so represents a substantial transformation of the product. The analogy
drawn is that if wool were shipped into Italy and the Italian suitmaker
turns it into a fine Italian suit, then the product has undergone a
substantial transformation and could thus be labeled, Product of Italy.
Whether anyone on this list would agree that Spanish olive oil shipped to
Italy to be blended with Greek and Italian oil should be labeled, "Product
of Italy" because of the so called artesian skill of the blending process is
open to debate.


----- Original Message -----
From: Alonso Flores <alonsoflores@hotmail.com>
To: <OliveOil@onelist.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2000 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: [OliveOil] Black Olives in California


> From: "Alonso Flores" <alonsoflores@hotmail.com>
>
>
> >From: Marco Bernardini <webmaster@taggiasca.com>
> >The EC law has a loopback: you must print on the bottle the place where
oil
> >is bottled, but producing place is optional.
> >So some "brands" buy el-cheapo oil and sell it as "bottled in Italy"
> >without to break the law: average users don't know the EC law, so they
> >think they are buying Italian oil.
> >Is the same in the US?
>
>
> We have the same loophole here in the US. I've noticed many bottles on
> store shelves that say 'bottled in Italy' but no mention of the olive
> origins or where the oil was pressed.
> I think most consumers assume that they are buying Italian oil based on
such
> misleading labels. Most consumers -- I belive -- don't realize the
> difference and the bottlers take advantage of this.
>
> But this practise is not limited to olive oil. California wineries are
> starting to complain about some wineries claiming to be, say, a 'Napa'
wine,
> but they only make or perhaps merely bottle the wine there, when the
grapes
> are brought in from less prestigious regions.
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</pre>
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