Dangerous Olive Oil: Dilution, Chemicals, Broken Glass

Almost three times more cases of olive oil fraud and mislabeling were detected in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2023 EU.

The cost of olive oil has more than doubled since 2018, as production has been hit by extreme weather conditions caused by the climate crisis and other factors. As prices rise, so too has the number of “EU cross-border notifications,” which include mislabeling, potential fraud, and cases involving contaminated (diluted) oils, according to the Guardian.

In the first quarter of 2018, there were just 15 such cases in the EU. According to data cited by The Guardian, the number of cases has risen to 50 in the first three months of this year alone, almost tripling. However, these are only the cases that have been identified and reported by member states to the EU’s Directorate-General for Health. This figure does not include domestic fraud, the true scale of which is likely to be much higher.

Messages about fraud cases included oils contaminated with unapproved substances such as pesticides, mineral oils, and one case where… glass fragments were found.

There have also been many cases where extra virgin olive oil has been adulterated, such as by mixing it with lower or cheaper quality oils, cases where extra virgin olive oil has been labeled as “extra virgin”, and several cases of misleading or false labeling of origin.

Global warming has led to a decline in olive oil production in recent years. Crops in Spain, which produced more than half the world's olive oil in 2018-19, have been hit by drought and heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 40°C (104F).

According to preliminary data from the International Olive Council (IOC), global production is expected to decline by 27% to 2.4 million tonnes in 2023-24 compared to 2018-19.

In November last year, 100 kg of extra virgin olive oil from Jaen, Spain, cost €787, compared with €262.50 five years earlier.

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