The USDA definition of olive oil grades that were adopted in 1948 changed on October 24,2010.

This is a historic achievement for the olive oil industry as well as consumers and retailers.

The petition, filed by the California Olive Oil Council in August 2005,sought to set in place standards for grades of olive oil in the United States, especially extra virgin.

The old 1948 federal standards allowed some unscrupulous importers to flood the US market with mislabeled types of olive oil and misleading claims.

The standard will:

* Provide legal reference definitions for any government agency that takes enforcement action against mislabeling.

* Provide buyers in commerce with a common language of clearly defined US grades of olive oil.

* Serve notice to unscrupulous importers that the United States will no longer be a haven for mislabeled low grades of olive oil or other oils claiming to be olive oil.For example: olive pomace oil being labeled as "virgin" olive oil.

* Raise public awareness of the differences between extra virgin and other grades of olive oil.

* Inform the consumer by including taste (organoleptic) as well as chemical testing requirements for olive oil.

* Become the foundation on which an infrastructure of grading and testing can be built.



Reference: United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil