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<pre>Until the IOOC takes a leading and firm stand against the use of Sansa or
Pomace oil for human consumption (wishful thinking!), we are going to see
continued and widespread use of this oil, especially for institutional use
(where the actual consumer is oblivious to the type of oil being used and
served), and where price is the prime motivator of purchase.

Ever since the vigilant health authorities of the Czech Republic first
picked up the health dangers associated with Spanish Olive Pomace Oil well
over a year ago, evidence has been building up against these sansa oils,
irrespective of country of production. This is because of the nature of the
production process used in extracting this oil. During the necessary drying
stage of the sansa or presscake (prior to solvent extraction and refining),
one invariably has the overheating or pyrolysis of the carbonaceous
materials (fibre, skin and crushed pips) as the finely crushed sansa passes
through the drying furnaces. This leads to the formation of a range of
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and specifically
Benzo-alpha-Pyrene, which is not only carcinogenic, but also neurotoxic and
genotoxic.

These compounds have been detected in high doses (up to 60 times the maximum
permitted content) in Pomace oils originating from not only Spain, but also
Greece and Italy.

Since the initial flurry of bad press on Pomace in the third quarter of
2001, other more gripping events have grabbed the headlines. It would be
interesting to hear of any later developments on the subject.

As a matter of interest, I yesterday popped into a new deli in a touristy
resort town near Cape Town, and saw a range of (unlabeled) herb-flavoured
olive oils in fancy decorated glass bottles. I asked the owner if I could
taste the oil, and, apart from the herby-garlicy taste, it appeared to be a
very bland oil. I guessed it to be refined, so I asked him what he was
using. He produced a 5 Litre PET can of ...Olive Pomace Oil. After giving
him a bit of a lecture on PAHs and BaPs, he seemed genuinely moved, and
assured me he was going to replace the product with EVOO.

During the course of last year we were inundated by a spate of fraudulent
products on our local market (seed oils coloured, flavoured and marketed as
EVOO). As the plaintiff, I accompanied our Commercial Police on numerous
raids on the warehouses of dodgy distrubutors and importers, and it was
amazing how much Pomace or Sansa oil was being imported, and sold mainly to
hotels and restaurants. It was also amazing how many computer viruses my
firewall had to subsequently fend off!!

Regards,

Guido Costa
Paarl
South Africa
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