Olives101.com

By Elizabeth Larson,
State Sen. Wiggins introduces bill to modernize definitions.
California olive oil makers are raising the bar when it comes to the quality and quantity of olive oil produced in the United States, and an industry association is supporting more stringent olive oil grade standards.
State Sen. Patricia Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, has introduced Senate Bill [...]

Olive thieves struck again.
The Amenduni Australian Olive Expo’s grove holds 200 olive trees, all of which have been stripped of their fruits due to be harvested before the October display.
The Hunter Valley, NSW, has also been hit recently.
The ACT grove is surrounded by security fences, which are more than one-metre high and have barbed wire [...]

By Laura Kurtzman,
After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the University of California, Davis established a research department that led to the flowering of the California wine industry now, it hopes to do the same for olive oil.
The challenges to the emerging industry are significant. They include finding economical ways to produce fine oil, dealing [...]

Bee Wilson looks into the murky world of olive oil.
‘Extra-virgin’ suggests great purity. It sounds even better in Italy, land of superlatives and Madonnas: extravergine. It rolls off the tongue like a prayer. So it’s a shame that much Italian extra-virgin olive oil - perfect oil from the first pressing of olives - is anything [...]

A new law in Italy requires producers of virgin and extra-virgin olive oil to include labels indicating where the olives were picked and pressed.
The purpose is to guarantee authenticity and quality, a report from Rome said.
The consumer group Codacons likes the new law but thinks it’s not enough to eliminate fraud. Members want acidity levels [...]