Italy bars blended oil from the extra-virgin label in new crackdown
Italy's Masaf has issued a circular barring producers from labelling any blend of virgin and extra-virgin olive oil as 'extra virgin'; the designation is now reserved for top-category oil. The move follows a roughly 50% price drop over a year in a market where imports far exceed domestic output.
Rome ends virgin-to-extra-virgin blending
Italy has moved to close a labelling loophole in its olive oil sector. According to la Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (Masaf) has issued a circular under which oil obtained by blending virgin and extra-virgin olive oil can no longer be sold as 'extra virgin olive oil'. The designation is now reserved for oil belonging to the superior category defined by the rules. Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, who announced the measure, said producers and bottlers need clear rules and consumers need clear information, stressing that olive oil is a daily staple in Italian households.
Closing the blending loophole
Blending had until now allowed operators to correct the defects of a virgin oil by mixing in a share of extra-virgin, formally respecting the chemical parameters set by law while emptying the sensory Panel Test of meaning, teatronaturale.it reported. Consumers could thus be led to treat as extra-virgin a product that was not. The circular reaffirms that a lower-category oil cannot be upgraded through blending. Blended oil already packaged may be sold until stocks run out, while bulk oil must be reclassified as 'virgin olive oil' within 30 days of publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale. The rules also provide for more controls on producers and bottlers.
A market under pressure
The change lands at a difficult moment for Italian growers. Over the past twelve months the price of extra-virgin olive oil has fallen by around 50%, while costs borne by farms have risen by more than 200 euro per hectare, according to figures from the Centro Studi Divulga cited by teatronaturale.it. The structural imbalance is stark: Italy produces about 234 million litres of extra-virgin olive oil a year against domestic consumption of 461 million litres, with exports of 318 million litres and imports reaching 545 million litres. Coldiretti and Unaprol argue the figures show part of the foreign oil is marketed by improperly trading on an Italian image, to the detriment of producers and consumers. The country has over one million hectares planted with olives.
Enforcement and next steps
Coldiretti and Unaprol, which called the circular a historic victory against oil traffickers, say it must be followed by stronger controls. They point to new analytical methods — magnetic resonance, genetic mapping and isotopic mapping — to establish the origin of oil with precision and to serve as court evidence. They also call for aligning the customs, Icqrf and Agea databases, reinforcing the laboratory network, tighter checks at southern ports where most foreign oil arrives, and eventually blockchain. They further seek a ban on holding esterification plants in facilities that produce or store oil destined for food use.
