ANIERAC AND ASOLIVA plead for demanding more guarantees of quality in the purchases of olive oil
ANIERAC (National Association of Containers and Refiners of Edible Oils) and ASOLIVA (Spanish Association of the Industry and the Exporter of Olive Oil) have decided to recommend to their associated companies a greater requirement to their suppliers at the time of the purchase of the extra virgin and extra virgin olive oils.
This recommendation is intended to provide more information in the face of the “legal uncertainty” faced by the packers and exporters by the “panel test”
The “test panel” consists of an organoleptic assessment based on a panel of tasters that establishes the commercial category of virgin and extra virgin oils, mandatory at European level. This rating system and the increasing pressure on the part of the Administration is causing great concern and defenselessness for the packers and exporters because of the “subjectivity” of the method. Thus, in one of every four batches of oil analyzed discrepancies have been found in the assessments by the official tasting panels, according to a study by these associations
ANIERAC and ASOLIVA advise associated companies to request from their suppliers a certificate attesting the quality of the oils they buy
This document must show that the consignments have undergone a physicochemical and organoleptic assessment by means of a laboratory and a tasting panel, preferably authorized as required by Community legislation, with the qualification obtained from the oil sold and invoiced. In addition, the document will have a seniority not exceeding three months (90 days).
ANIERAC and ASOLIVA want to emphasize that “it is the responsibility of the packers to assure consumers that the product that is packaged and marketed corresponds to the characteristics that appear on the labeling”.
It is necessary that the bottler demand from their suppliers the information that guarantees the quality of the oil in order to be able to accredit it
Through this good practice by the partners of both organizations, a decisive step is taken to ensure traceability of the product at all stages of the chain, in compliance with the Food Safety and Nutrition Act.
Both associations also emphasize the excessive responsibility of packers and exporters and, citing the guiding principles of the Law on Measures to Improve the Functioning of the Food Chain, demand that trade relations be governed by the principles of balance and fair distribution Risks and responsibilities, among others.
Containers and Exporters
The National Association of Containers and Refiners of Edible Oils began in 1963 and has 64 associates. Among them are the most representative packaging companies in the Spanish market, both by volume of business and their special relevance at national, provincial or local level.
ANIERAC companies represent 81% of the national market for edible vegetable oils (65% of olive oils and 98% of other vegetable oils)
The Spanish Association of the Industry and Trade Exporter of Olive Oil has been operating under this name since 1985, although it has been operating since 1928 under different denominations.
ASOLIVA has 50 exporting companies that account for between 90% and 95% of the national exportation of packaged oil and between 40% and 45% of the bulk export, according to campaigns
Sources: ANIERAC and ASOLIVA
