The manufacturers of olive oil may be tempted to change their printed labels after problems involving counterfeiting were uncovered in the industry.
Tom Mueller, author of a book called Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, told the New York Post he found numerous cases in which fraudsters were selling products they claimed were genuine when they were in fact diluted or not even olive oil at all.
Indeed, a police investigation this month found four out of five bottles of Italian olive oil had been debased.
"I had to laugh, because this was not black market plutonium or drugs, this was olive oil," Mr Mueller commented.
He explained that lower-grade oil such as rapeseed is often sold with misleading printed labels to reduce production costs.
Mr Mueller advised shoppers to smell olive oil before buying it to check for fruitiness and not a musty smell.
However, genuine manufacturers may wish to use special printed labels such as holograms to reassure consumers.
Denny Bros Ltd, 04 January 2012
