Adulterated olive oil and honey with authenticity issues, reported in the EU report on food fraud.

The European report for July includes Kalamata extra virgin olive oil diluted with sunflower oil, other olive oils with vegetable additives, and Kalamata products sold online as counterfeit. Separately, three cases of honey have been reported for issues regarding sugar content or the presence of foreign enzymes.

Olive oil and honey appear in several distinct suspicions of cross-border food fraud in the Commission's report for July. Authorities have reported Kalamata extra virgin olive oil adulterated with sunflower oil, other Kalamata products sold online as counterfeit, and three cases of honey associated with issues regarding sugar content or the presence of foreign enzymes.

In brief

1. An extra virgin Kalamata oil from Greece has been reported for adulteration with sunflower oil.

2. Another olive oil, originating from Lebanon, contained another vegetable oil, without the report specifying its nature.

3. Three products sold online as extra virgin Kalamata oil, with indicated origin in Bulgaria, France, and Romania, have been classified as counterfeit.

4. Honey from Turkey and a blend from Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, and Spain have been reported for issues regarding sugar content.

5. Honey from Belgium has been reported for the presence of foreign amylases associated with Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

Olive oil appears in the report in two different types of situations: composition modification and the use of a commercial or geographical identity that does not correspond to the product.

In the first case, an extra virgin Kalamata oil with origin Greece has been reported for adulteration with sunflower oil. Germany has sent the notification.

Another olive oil, with indicated origin in Lebanon, contained another vegetable oil. The report does not specify what type of oil was identified or the proportion in which it was present.

Adulteration with a different vegetable oil can modify both the composition and the value of the product. The consumer buys the oil based on the declared type, and replacing or diluting it with another ingredient makes the actual product different from what is presented.

Separately, three products sold online as extra virgin Kalamata oil appear in the category regarding protected names of the EU and are described as counterfeit products. The indicated origin in the report was Bulgaria, France, and Romania, and all three cases were notified by Germany.

This declared origin should not be automatically confused with the actual place of manufacture. In a case where the identity of the product is contested, the information regarding origin may be part of what needs to be verified by authorities.

The name Kalamata is associated with a geographical origin and specific production conditions. Its use for a product that does not meet these conditions can mislead the buyer regarding provenance, quality, or product characteristics.

The report does not identify the trademarks or the quantities sold in these cases. It does not specify whether the products have been completely withdrawn from the market.

Honey appears in a different category, that of adulteration through ingredient dilution. Three cases are mentioned in the July report.

The first concerns honey with origin Turkey, reported for a problem regarding sugar content. Germany has sent the notification.

The second case concerns honey from Belgium in which foreign amylases associated with Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were identified. The notification was sent by the Czech Republic.

The third case is a blend of honey from Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, and Spain, reported by Sweden also for a problem regarding sugar content.

The report does not provide the exact sugar value in the two cases and does not specify the mechanism by which the composition may have been modified.

In the case of honey, authenticity verification may include analysis of the sugar profile, enzymes, and other characteristics that must be compatible with the nature of the declared product.

The presence of foreign enzymes or a sugar profile that does not match may lead authorities to check whether the product has been modified or whether the information provided to the consumer is correct.

In the cases of honey, the report does not establish a definitive fraud. It includes non-compliances with suspicions of fraud, which may trigger further investigations.

The cases of olive oil and honey, however, have a common element: the consumer pays for a product whose value largely depends on authenticity. In oil, this may concern both composition and protected origin; in honey, the composition and natural characteristics of the product are essential for what is sold.

The Commission's monthly report brings together cross-border suspicions exchanged between authorities in the European alert and cooperation network. The cases do not represent definitive verdicts but are used to guide controls and identify vulnerable products or sectors.

Olive oil and honey are examples of products in which authenticity is central to price and consumer trust, which is why the differences between actual composition and declared composition are distinctly monitored in the European system.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/ulei-de-masline-adulterat-si-miere-cu-probleme-de-autenticitate-semnalate-in-raportul-ue-privind-fraudele-alimentare