History of Olive Oil Timeline

Extensive fraud prompted the Italian government to mandate a new labeling law in 2007 requiring every bottle of Italian olive oil to declare the farm and press on which it was produced, as well as display a precise breakdown of the oils used for blended oils.

Journalist Tom Mueller investigated crime and adulteration in the olive oil business, publishing the article 'Slippery Business' in New Yorker magazine, followed by the 2011 book Extra Virginity.

In February 2008, EU officials took issue with Italy's new labeling law, stating that under EU rules such labeling should be voluntary rather than compulsory.

In March 2008, 400 Italian police officers conducted Operation Golden Oil, arresting 23 people and confiscating 85 farms after an investigation revealed a large-scale scheme to relabel oils from other Mediterranean nations as Italian.

In April 2008, another operation impounded seven olive oil plants and arrested 40 people in nine provinces of northern and southern Italy for adding chlorophyll to sunflower and soya bean oil and selling it as extra virgin olive oil; 25,000 liters of fake oil were seized.

The United States is not a member of the International Olive Council and is not subject to its authority, but on October 25, 2010, the U.S. adopted standards aligning with IOC rules for olive oil sold domestically.

On March 15, 2011, the prosecutor's office in Florence, working with the forestry department, indicted two managers and an officer of Carapelli, a brand of the Spanish company Grupo SOS, which recently changed its name to Deoleo.

In February 2012, Spanish authorities investigated an international olive oil fraud in which palm, avocado, sunflower, and other cheaper oils were passed off as Italian olive oil.

Commission Regulation (EU) 432/2012 of May 16, 2012 formalized authorized health claims in the European Union, including claims relating to olive oil polyphenols and oleic acid.

In 2014, California adopted a set of olive oil standards for olive oil made from California-grown olives, aiming to ensure quality and combat mislabeling.

On January 3, 2016, Bill Whitaker presented a program on CBS News about olive oil fraud, including interviews with Tom Mueller and with Italian authorities.

In early February 2017, the Carabinieri police arrested 33 suspects in the Calabrian mafia's Piromalli 'ndrina ('Ndrangheta), which was allegedly exporting fake extra virgin olive oil to the U.S.; the product was actually inexpensive olive pomace oil fraudulently labeled.

In July 2024, the European Union reported a significant increase in olive oil fraud and mislabeling cases, highlighting ongoing challenges in policing the global olive oil market.

In a review by the European Food Safety Authority in 2011, health claims on olive oil were approved for protection by its polyphenols against oxidation of blood lipids, and for maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol levels by replacing saturated fats with oleic acid.

A 2014 meta-analysis concluded that increased consumption of olive oil was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events and stroke, while monounsaturated fatty acids of mixed animal and plant origin showed no significant effects.

A 2018 meta-analysis found high-polyphenol olive oil intake was associated with improved measures of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, malondialdehyde, and oxidized LDL when compared to low-polyphenol olive oils, although it recommended longer studies and more research on non-Mediterranean populations.