Source: ABC News

Story By: Liz Hobday

Australia has become the first country in the world to approve voluntary national labelling standards for olive oil.

Up until now many people buying olive oil have been confused by labels such as "premium" and "extra light".

The president of the Australian Olive Association, Paul Miller, says most of the terms used to label olive oil are meaningless and do not tell the buyer whether the oil is fresh or refined.

"Most of the world olive crop is swept up off the ground and the oil when it's made has off flavours, it's often rancid and so it needs to be taken to a vegetable oil refinery to be made edible or palatable," he said.

"That refining process changes the oil and refined olive oil is a much lower grade than extra virgin.

"The new standards say that consumers should be told whether an oil is refined or whether it's extra virgin."

Mr Miller hopes the new standards will stop the use of terms such as "extra light", "pure" and "premium" on labels - instead, they will have to tell you what you are buying.

"What we really want is that if an oil is labelled extra virgin that it is, that it doesn't contain any refined olive oil," he said.

"That people are getting what they should be getting when they are buying that and if want to buy lower grade they need to know its a lower grade.

"So for example terms like extra light - our research has shown that consumers may think that's low fat extra virgin olive oil, when in fact it's the most refined product."

To read the full story, follow this link: www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-21/national-standards-for-olive-oil-labelling/2803828