Shortcomings in the European Union’s olive oil control systems may put the product’s quality, safety and traceability at risk, according to a new report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
The ECA acknowledges that member states’ checks for pesticide residues in olive oil originating from EU countries are clear and generally work well, those for other contaminants are less developed, and some rules – such as those on blending and traceability checks – are not sufficiently clear.
Olive oil is a flagship product for the European Union, which is the world’s leading producer (61 % of the global market), exporter (65 %), and consumer (45 %). Its reputation for quality and authenticity is vital economically, and consumers rely on the assurance that extra virgin and other categories of olive oil meet the EU’s high marketing standards and food safety requirements.
As a result, olive oil is a highly regulated product, with precise requirements that must be met before it can be placed on the market. EU countries are responsible for setting up their own control systems and carrying out checks. The auditors examined whether the control systems in place across the EU guarantee that the olive oil sold within its borders is genuine, safe, and traceable.
EU rules set minimum requirements for labelling, category verification, and pesticide testing. However, the auditors found that some conformity checks are incomplete, and parts of the market are sometimes excluded from risk-based inspections. This leaves gaps in the system that can affect quality and, ultimately, consumer confidence.
Checks for pesticide residues in olive oil from EU countries are well established and rarely reveal cases of non-compliance. However, checks for other contaminants are inconsistent, and risk-based justification is not always documented. Although the EU imports the equivalent of around 9 % of its annual olive oil production, the auditors found that checks for pesticides and other contaminants in olive oil imported from non-EU countries were either non-existent or sporadic in the EU countries they visited.
Member states monitor traceability to varying degrees in the course of their food safety and conformity checks. Countries such as Spain and Italy track the origin of olives and olive oil at all stages in the supply chain using electronic registers in order to boost transparency and prevent fraud.
However, the auditors found that tracking olive oil across borders is difficult. This is especially true of olive oil originating from more than one EU country, or from a mix of EU and non-EU origins. There is also a lack of comprehensive rules or guidance on how and when traceability should be checked. Moreover, certain legal requirements – on aspects such as blending oils from different harvests or categories – lack clarity, resulting in different national practices that can affect product quality over time.
The European Commission has only a partial understanding of how national control systems operate. Annual reporting and meetings with national authorities do not ensure that all relevant information is shared, thus limiting the Commission’s ability to monitor control systems effectively.
