Detection of adulterated and misbranded olive oil products

The Food and Drug Administration has been examining bulk and packaged olive oil products in a continuing program to detect adulteration of olive oil products. Thirteen of 20 products collected in 1983–84 labeled as olive oil contained undeclared esterified (synthetic) olive oil and four contained undeclared olive‐residue oil (derived from olive pomace and pits). Seven of 13 brands of imported olive oil contained undeclared esterified oil, suggesting that considerable quantities of esterified oil have been shipped to the United States identified as olive oil.