California Olive Oil Council promotes seal
• Says it guarantees extra virgin olive oil authenticity
• Antidote to the trade in adulterated olive oil
The California Olive Oil Council has launched a promotional campaign for its seal of certification for extra virgin olive oil following publication of a report laying out the problem of adulterated imported olive oil.
The report, “Letter from Italy: Slippery Business…The trade in adulterated olive oil” by Tom Mueller, is published in the current edition of the New Yorker magazine.
“We commend Mr. Mueller’s in-depth exposé of this critical worldwide problem, which affects millions of consumers and retailers in the United States,” says Patricia Darragh, COOC executive director.
California producers make more than 98 percent of all the extra virgin olive oil produced domestically. But Ms. Darragh says they have to compete against dozens of imported oils, many of which may be incorrectly labeled.
The New Yorker investigation reports that federal agents have seized thousands of gallons of adulterated olive oil imported from other countries. In one case, some of the oil consisted almost entirely of soybean oil, the magazine says.
(Ms. Darragh talks about the council’s seal and the state of California’s olive oil industry in today’s CVBT Audio Interview. Please click on the link at the end of this story to listen or to download the MP3 audio file.)
The California Olive Oil Council petitioned the USDA in August 2004 in an effort to set standards for labeling grades of olive oil. The council is optimistic that the standards will be adopted by the end of the current year, Ms. Darragh says.
The California Olive Oil Council awards its seal each year to oils that pass its tests for “extra virgin.” Chemical testing in an independent laboratory as well as a sensory assessment by a trained taste panel determine whether or not an oil is truly extra virgin.
“For the last three years, the COOC has added a UVA chemical requirement, which is there to detect potentially adulterated oils,” says Ms. Darragh.
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Posted in California, Europe | U.K, Olive Oil by: Olives101
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few other ways to use olive oil
- Hands: to soften your hands, smooth on a generous amount of olive oil before bed, put on white cotton gloves, and sleep with them on.
- Lips: dab a little olive oil on chapped lips.
- Makeup remover: dab a little olive oil on a cotton swab or tissue to remove makeup. To get rid of those “nightmare” eyeliners and mascaras, dip a cotton bud in some olive oil and glide along the rim of the eye.
- Face: whenever your face needs softening and moisturising, massage a small amount of olive oil into your skin, applying extra oil to rough or cracked areas.
- Body: add a few drops to your bath water to soften your skin.
- Shaving Cream: Men with sensitive skin can use olive oil as a shaving cream.
- Feet: to heal dry feet, rub them with olive oil, then put on a pair of socks at bedtime and leave them on overnight.
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Posted in Health, Olive Oil by: Olives101
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Tefal-Actifry: Smart fryer uses a mere tablespoon of olive oil to make chips
Imagine being able to fry a batch of real home-made chips with just a tablespoon of olive oil. Sounds too good to be true?
Place up to a kilo of freshly cut chips into the cooking pan, then measure your preferred oil with the scoop provided, pour it over, and set thetimer. Patented technology circulates hot air around your fries, whilstthe mixing paddle evenly disperses the oil. The result is chips that are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with only 3% fat content.
Posted in Health, Olive Oil by: Olives101
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Loddon Shire in central Victoria is reaping the benefits of a booming olive industry.
A small business which manufactures olive harvesters has moved from Queensland to Boort.
The council is helping it find a new location, so it can expand to cater for growth in the olive industry nationwide and overseas.
Loddon council chief executive John McLinden says there are extensive plantings in the Boort area and olive oil production is starting to mature.
“We’re expecting to see increased transport jobs, the harvest season is now quite a massive undertaking for the couple of companies up there operating and they bring in itinerant workers, so there’s potential for itinerant worker accommodation,” he said.
“Tourism is something that the shire has been trying, attempting to exploit and that seems to be growing.”
Posted in Australia | NZ by: Olives101
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Californian table olive growers get record prices as acreage shrinks
By Ching Lee,
California olive growers are expecting excellent prices for this year’s crop, which is projected to be 112,000 tons, up considerably from last year’s 16,800 tons.
After a disastrous crop in 2006, California table olive growers are poised to receive some of the highest prices ever for their fruit this year, but many fear growers who have suffered years of financial losses will abandon the olive business and remove more trees from production.
“We simply can’t afford to lose any more olive acreage if we hope to maintain our share of the market,” said Adin Hester, president of the Olive Growers Council of California.
The Visalia-based bargaining cooperative reached an agreement with processors Bell Carter Olive Co. in Corning and Musco Family Olive Co. in Tracy to pay growers top prices for their best crop this year.
Growers with good tonnage and fruit size could get as much as $1,150 a ton for their Manzanillo olives and $925 a ton for Sevillano olives. Prices for smaller sizes range from $650 to $350 a ton for Manzanillos and $350 to $300 a ton for Sevillanos. Undersized fruit go for $10 a ton.
“These represent the best prices paid to growers in the history of the California table olive industry,” Hester said. “With inventory at the lowest level in years, the industry needs a good crop to keep supplying the retail and food service markets.”
This year’s crop is estimated at 112,000 tons, considered normal compared to 2006’s 16,800 tons. Growers delivered only 16 percent of their normal crop last year because late spring rains caused pollination problems, Hester said. Those with fruit received an average of $900 a ton, a good price compared to other years when growers received $500 to $400 a ton.
Hester said farming costs have skyrocketed in recent years to a point where farmers are removing their trees, and healthy price increases are a must if growers are to continue growing and producing olives.
Posted in California by: Olives101
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