Californian oil producers are pressuring the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to tighten American olive oil grading regulations to prevent lower grades of olive oils from being called “extra virgin”.
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The California Olive Oil Council argues that the United States has no legal definition for “extra virgin”, in contrast to many European countries, where it denotes the highest quality of olive oil.
This has created a loophole for both domestic and foreign olive oil producers to sell poorer quality olive oils to the American market under a premium label, including olive oils that are blended with canola oil. The USDA olive oil standards have been in place since 1948.
