Sale of oil in bulk, a timely turnaround for the European Union

“Good news comes from Brussels for Italian producers of extra virgin olive oil. The Commission is convinced of the need to maintain the ban on the sale of bulk oil to consumers". The communicated it president of Italia Olivicola, Gennaro Sicolo (in the picture) recalling how the main OP association has long opposed the intention to authorize "this obsolete form of marketing, risky is preferably used for product quality and for Food safety, poorly transparent towards the consumer and, at the same time, too contrary to the interests of Italian olive producers, which, as is known, focus on the quality and distinctiveness of the production”.
The Community institutions are engaged in this phase in an inintense review of legislation on marketing standards for food products, on the rules on packaging and food waste, on the provisions relating to the mandatory labeling of the origin of products.
“Last summer – Sicolo recalled – Italia Olivicola intervened directly on the European Commission, because there was insistent talk of a possible authorization of the sales of bulk olive oil. Currently, regulation 29/2012 provides for the obligation to present olive oil to the final consumer in pre-packed mode, using containers with a maximum capacity of 5 liters, equipped with a closure system that loses its integrity after the first use and a label compliant with current regulations. Returning to the practice of selling bulk goods would have compromised all the efforts we are frantically pursuing in Italy to give value and differentiate our excellent products on the market".
European intervention in the field of marketing rules, packaging, food waste and product labeling falls within the more general maneuver of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork. “Someone has thought that the sale of bulk can lead to a reduction in waste, without however considering that standardized packaging used today in the olive-oil supply chain they satisfy very stringent sustainability parameters and are subject to compliance checks with environmental regulations” concluded the president of Italia Olivicola Sicolo”.