Introduction

Extreme weather events drive up global grocery prices, particularly for olive oil due to droughts in the Mediterranean. This situation has led to an increase in fraudulent activities, where low-quality oil is sold as extra virgin. Other affected products include orange juice.

Analysis

The Guardian revealed through Freedom of Information requests that the European Union (EU) faced a surge in suspected olive oil fraud cases earlier this year when prices peaked. The actual extent of this crime likely exceeds reported incidents, as data only includes cases submitted to the EU Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety.

Fraudsters blend top-quality extra virgin olive oil with impurities to sell low-quality oil at a premium. In July, Italian authorities confiscated 42 metric tons of counterfeit olive oil worth nearly $1 million and seized 623 litres of chlorophyll mixed with lower-grade oil. Additionally, they found 71 tons of a suspicious “oily substance.” In January, 50 restaurants in Rome sold seed oil fraudulently labelled as extra virgin.

Grove robbers have stolen olives and even cut down trees for the valuable fruit. Spanish authorities recently stopped the theft of 465 kilograms (1,025 pounds) of olives and uncovered fraudulent shipping paperwork that could mislead consumers about the product’s origins.

Conclusion

The threat of adulteration extends beyond olive oil. Orange juice also faces risks, especially as prices surge due to drought in Brazil and the spread of citrus greening, a disease carried by invasive insects that damages the fruit and weakens affected trees.

Source: The Economic Times