When you buy a bottle of olive oil, the rolling
Tuscan hills on the label and the “made
in Italy” stamp should reassure you the
product is as Italian as Chianti or Armani.
In fact, there is no guarantee the oil is from
Italy, reports The Scotsman.
That would change under an Italian bill that
forces manufacturers to declare where their
oil comes from, meaning many famous brands would
have to reveal, for the first time, that most
of their “Italian” oil originates
from places such as Spain and Tunisia.
Italy’s olive farmers have convinced
their government to change the current rules
that allow oil to be labelled as Italian as
long as it is blended in Italy even if, as is
often the case, it has been trucked in from
overseas.
Italy is both the biggest exporter and importer
of olive oil, but its annual production of 650,000
tonnes is not enough to satisfy even domestic
demand for the ingredient at the heart of the
Mediterranean diet.
For the complete story, go to: http://news.scotsman.com
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