CORRECT
LABELLING
IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT LABELLING FOR
EXTRA VIRGIN
OLIVE OIL
IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT LABELLING FOR
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
By labelling a product as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the producer has to comply with the following requirements:
- The source/origin, manufacturer’s address (traceability);
- The harvest date and/or expiry date and lot and/or batch number;
- Volumetric content (which is a legal requirement, but not always complied with)
- A nutritional table with the relevant information is compulsory on the back label;
- The oil has a free fatty acid (FFA) level of LESS than 0.8% and a peroxide value (PV) of LESS than 20, (complying with international standards);
- That the oil has been cold extracted, which means that no additional heat is used to extract the oil (which is implied in EVOO), thus the oil retains all its wonderful natural aromas, flavour and antioxidants.
Always make sure that your products comply with applicable South African labelling regulations, such as R146 (click here).