RPA to enforce olive oil regulations

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has been chosen to enforce olive oil regulations around authenticity and labelling.

RPA’s Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate will conduct regular checks at bottlers and the retail sector.

This will include taking samples for laboratory chemical and taste analysis to Campden BRI.

Product labels will also be examined to make sure they meet EU rules, which apply across all member states.

Olive oil bottling establishments will be inspected and samples of records, storage and production facilities can be checked.

Mark Grimshaw, rural payments agency chief executive, said: “This work that we are taking on will help protect, inform and reassure consumers that the olive oil they buy is good quality and labelled correctly.”

The regulations cover Extra Virgin olive oil, Virgin olive oil, olive oil composed of refined olive oils and virgin olive oils, and olive pomace oil and affect those bottling and / or selling olive oil.