Portugal is suffering from a drop in olive oil production from the last harvest, mainly due to extreme and severe drought. The price of olive oil has skyrocketed and there are practically no stocks on the market. This situation has led to the return of the use of ‘olive oil cruets’ in many hotels and restaurants.
‘The use of “galheteiros” violates national legislation, as it is prohibited by Ordinance 24/2005, harms consumers, who are unable to identify the origin of the olive oil, and is clearly inadequate in terms of hygiene and food safety and consumer health protection,’ says Fenazeites President Aníbal Martins.
Olive oil made available to the end consumer as a condiment in hotels, restaurants and bars must be packaged in containers fitted with an opening system that loses its integrity after first use or has a protection system that prevents reuse after the original contents referred to on the label have been used up.
However, ‘wine racks’ do not guarantee the authenticity of the product, encouraging fraud!
CONFAGRI and FENAZEITES are therefore asking ASAE to increase its monitoring in this area, as a way of guaranteeing product quality and defending the efforts of cooperatives and olive growers in Portugal to produce a product that is so important for the country’s economy and gastronomy: olive oil.
