Health conscious consumers might be pleased by the increased choices of olive oil in local market. However, they are also faced with confusing or even misleading labelling of the products.
In the latest market survey conducted by the Consumer Council, it was found that some olive-pomace oil was labelled as "olive oil" in Chinese.
The Council collected products labelled in English on the packages as "Olive Pomace Oil" or "Pomace Olive Oil" in the market. Of the 11 uncovered, five of them bore the Chinese labels "橄欖油", "純橄欖油", "精純橄欖油" or "精煉橄欖油" (which in English were olive oil, pure olive oil, refined pure olive oil and refined olive oil respectively) on the packages. There was no indication of "olive-pomace oil" (meaning橄欖果渣油) on these Chinese labels.
According to the Trade Standard Applying to Olive Oils and Olive-Pomace Oils issued by International Olive Council, olive-pomace oil refers to the oil obtained by treating olive pomace with solvents or other physical treatments. It comprises the blend of refined olive-pomace oil and virgin olive oils, and in no case shall this blend be called "olive oil".
The above Trade Standard (TS) stipulated that olive oil should be the oil obtained solely from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.), which excludes oils obtained using solvents. Olive oil is the oil consisting of a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils.
The Codex Standard (Codex) has similar requirements on olive oils and olive pomace oils regarding their designations and compositions. It also stipulates that "in no case shall the designation 'olive oil' be used to refer to olive-pomace oils."
The remaining 6 products surveyed by the Council did not have Chinese product names on their packages. However, the Council observed that when these products were sold at retail outlets, the price tags on shelves listed various versions of Chinese names, e.g. "橄欖油", "醇香煮食橄欖油", "精煉橄欖油", "精製橄欖油", "純橄欖油". Again, all these Chinese names had no indication of "olive-pomace oil" in Chinese.
The survey found marked difference in the prices of "olive-pomace oil" products and "olive oil" products.
According to the English ingredient lists of the above 11 "Olive Pomace Oil" / "Pomace Olive Oil" products which should be regarded as "olive-pomace oil" but not "olive oil" as to the definition in TS and Codex, the average retail price of these products was about HK$5/100ml.
Products labelled as "olive oil" and fulfilled the definition of "olive oil" as specified in the above standards in terms of composition requirements was sold for an average of HK$11/100ml.
The Council had forwarded the above findings to the Centre for Food Safety and Customs and Excise Department for necessary follow-up actions.
Despite the difference in definitions between olive oil and olive-pomace oil, food experts advised that they were both edible oils and had similar fatty acids compositions, implying both contained similar proportion of saturated and unsaturated fats.
"Extra Light" was another labelling used in olive oil products which might confuse consumers.
The Council collected 5 products labelled as "Extra Light Olive Oil" or "Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil". According to the information provided by the importers of the products concerned, they were blends of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil, or refined olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. They were lighter in colour, flavour and/or aroma than ordinary olive oil.
However, consumers should be aware that "Light" on the label "Extra Light Olive Oil" does not mean low in fat or energy. This type of oil is not lower in fat or energy than other types of olive oil. There is no such definition of "Extra Light" in the above trade standard.
When consuming and storing olive oil, consumers are advised to observe the followings:
- Virgin olive oil has characteristic flavour and natural polyphenols, the latter are antioxidants beneficial to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. This category of olive oil is best used for mixing with salads and trickling over cooked dishes but generally not for cooking purposes as it has a lower smoke point.
- Ordinary olive oil and olive-pomace oil are of less flavour and contain little polyphenols. But their higher smoke points make them suitable for every day cooking, e.g. sautéing and frying.
- Store olive oil in opaque glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers and place them in cool places, away from direct sunlight.
- Olive oil can be kept for one year if stored properly, but the flavour is usually at its best in the first two months.
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