Olive oil survey

Olive oil survey

The vast majority of olive oils sold in the UK are accurately described on their labels and meet the rigorous specifications laid down by the European Commission for different grades of olive oil according to a recent survey. Ninety-seven per cent of the samples tested by MAFF were accurately described. Only 3 per cent of the retail samples failed to meet the Commission's specification. Capillary gas chromatography-mass spectometry were used for detecting refined oils in "extra virgin" and "virgin" olive oils. Fatty acid composition was used to detect the presence of seed oils and the wax content was used to detect the addition of solvent-extracted olive pomace oil.