 | |
| Formation | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Type | Trade association |
| Purpose | Represents producers, packagers and importers of olive oil. Performs testing of olive oils. |
| Website | www |
The North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) is a trade association of producers, packagers and importers of olive oil. The organization was established in 1989.
The North American Olive Oil Association offers a seal of quality for olive oils. The seal is available to members of the NAOOA who pay an annual licensing fee and submit their oils for testing. The oils are tested twice a year against the International Olive Council (IOC) standards and subjected to organoleptic analysis. In contrast to other testing programs, samples are not submitted by the producers, rather the samples are purchased retail to ensure that the products tested are the same as the ones purchased by consumers. [1]
The NAOOA regularly collects, from the retail marketplace, random samples of olive oil which are tested to ensure compliance with standards set by the International Olive Council. Companies are notified of the results and if needed, the Food and Drug Administration is notified. [2]
In 2013, the NAOOA sued Kangadis Food for falsely labeling Capatriti brand oil as olive oil when the product was in fact pomace oil (oil made from pits and skins of olives). [3] The lawsuit resulted in a federal judge ordering Kangadis Foods to relabel or recall its product. [4]
The North American Olive Oil Association submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration for a qualified health claim for olive oil. The claim, that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil reduces the risk of coronary heart disease was approved by the FDA in 2004. [5]
The NAOOA has challenged claims by the University of California, Davis Olive Center that most supermarket olive oils are impostors. The organization has written that Olive Center has an interest in smearing the reputations of imported olive oil because their mission is “Enhancing the quality and economic viability of California table olives and olive oil.”. [6]
In 2014, the organization commissioned a study on National Attitudes and Usage of olive oil in the United States. The study found that only 25% of olive oil users in the USA "feel very or extremely knowledgeable about olive oil". [7]
The organization commissioned a report in 2015 that criticizes the standards set by the Olive Oil Commission of California. The report determined that in a random testing of California olive oils, 67% of the oils failed the California standards and 28% failed standards set by the International Olive Council. [8]
The NAOOA has been active in New York, Connecticut, Oregon and California's adoption of the international standards for olive oil grading and quality. [9]
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives, the fruit of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, and extracting the oil.
Food quality is a concept often based on the organoleptic characteristics and nutritional value of food. Producers reducing potential pathogens and other hazards through food safety practices is another important factor in gauging standards. A food's origin, and even its branding, can play a role in how consumers perceive the quality of products.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, plants, and animals (FPA) in Canada, thus enhancing the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment and economy. The agency is responsible to the Minister of Health.
Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) is a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts under the conditions of its intended use. An ingredient with a GRAS designation is exempted from the usual Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) food additive tolerance requirements. The concept of food additives being "generally recognized as safe" was first described in the Food Additives Amendment of 1958, and all additives introduced after this time had to be evaluated by new standards. The FDA list of GRAS notices is updated approximately each month, as of 2021.
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation in the body and improve hypertriglyceridemia. There has been a great deal of controversy in the 21st century about the role of fish oil in cardiovascular disease, with recent meta-analyses reaching different conclusions about its potential impact.
The presence of the logo on commercial products indicates that the manufacturer or importer affirms the goods' conformity with European health, safety, and environmental protection standards. It is not a quality indicator or a certification mark. The CE marking is required for goods sold in the European Economic Area (EEA); goods sold elsewhere may also carry the mark.
In chemistry, acid value is a number used to quantify the acidity of a given chemical substance. It is the quantity of base, expressed as milligrams of KOH required to neutralize the acidic constituents in 1 gram of a sample. The acid value measures the acidity of water-insoluble substances like oils, fats, waxes and resins, which do not have a pH value.
The smoke point, also referred to as the burning point, is the temperature at which an oil or fat begins to produce a continuous bluish smoke that becomes clearly visible, dependent upon specific and defined conditions. Smoke point values can vary greatly, depending on factors such as the volume of oil utilized, the size of the container, the presence of air currents, the type and source of light as well as the quality of the oil and its acidity content, otherwise known as free fatty acid (FFA) content. The more FFA an oil contains, the quicker it will break down and start smoking. The lower the value of FFA, the higher the smoke point. However, the FFA content typically represents less than 1% of the total oil and consequently renders smoke point a poor indicator of the capacity of a fat or oil to withstand heat.
Food safety is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from the ingestion of a common food is known as a food-borne disease outbreak. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potential health hazards. In this way, food safety often overlaps with food defense to prevent harm to consumers. The tracks within this line of thought are safety between industry and the market and then between the market and the consumer. In considering industry-to-market practices, food safety considerations include the origins of food including the practices relating to food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide residues, as well as policies on biotechnology and food and guidelines for the management of governmental import and export inspection and certification systems for foods. In considering market-to-consumer practices, the usual thought is that food ought to be safe in the market and the concern is safe delivery and preparation of the food for the consumer. Food safety, nutrition and food security are closely related. Unhealthy food creates a cycle of disease and malnutrition that affects infants and adults as well.
Bertolli is a brand of Italian food products produced by multiple companies around the world with the trademark owned by Mizkan Holdings. Originating as a brand of extra-virgin olive oil, in which it was the global market leader, pasta sauces and ready meals are now sold under the brand name as well.
Olive oil regulation and adulteration are complex issues overseen and studied by various governmental bodies, non-governmental organizations, and private researchers across the world. The most frequent type of adulteration is that oil of lower quality is mixed into olive oil.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body under the administration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food articles, while also establishing standards to ensure food safety. The FSSAI was established by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which consolidated all former acts and orders related to food safety that were previously handled by various ministries and departments.
Canned or tinned fish are food fish which have been processed, sealed in an airtight container such as a sealed tin can, and subjected to heat. Canning is a method of preserving food, and provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years. They are usually opened via a can opener, but sometimes have a pull-tab so that they can be opened by hand. In the past it was common for many cans to have a key that would be turned to peel the lid of the tin off; most predominately sardines, among others.
The International Olive Council (IOC) is an intergovernmental organization of states that produce olives or products derived from olives, such as olive oil.
Young Living is a multi-level marketing company based in Lehi, Utah. Founded by Donald Gary Young in 1993, it sells essential oils and other related products.
doTerra is a multi-level marketing company based in Pleasant Grove, Utah, that sells essential oils and other related products. doTerra was founded in 2008 by former executives of Young Living and others. The company's products are sold through independent distributors called Wellness Advocates, using a multi-level marketing model to sell its products. Distributors are eligible to receive commissions based on their own sales and the sales of others in their organization.
The Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) was founded in 2014 by California olive oil farmers. It is an entity of the State of California which was established as a result of a bill introduced by Lois Wolk. The primary goal is to improve the sales of olive oil grown in California.
The Dr. Oz Show is an American daytime television syndicated talk series that aired between September 14, 2009, and January 14, 2022. The host of the show is Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon who developed an affinity for alternative medicine. Throughout its run, various episodes and segment features have been vastly criticized for a lack of scientific credibility about the medical claims on the show. A study by the British Medical Journal in 2014 concluded that less than half the claims made on The Dr. Oz Show were backed by "some" evidence, and that fell to a third when the threshold was raised to "believable" evidence. The website Science-Based Medicine goes even further, claiming: "No other show on television can top The Dr. Oz Show for the sheer magnitude of bad health advice it consistently offers, all while giving everything a veneer of credibility." What follows is a selection of claims lacking scientific evidence.
Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, it was restricted as a food oil due to its content of erucic acid, which in laboratory studies was shown to be damaging to the cardiac muscle of laboratory animals in high quantities and which imparts a bitter taste, and glucosinolates, which made many parts of the plant less nutritious in animal feed. Rapeseed oil from standard cultivars can contain up to 54% erucic acid.