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Source: Global Times

[Global Times Special Correspondent Liu Haoran] The British "Guardian" reported on the 29th that due to the sharp drop in olive oil production and soaring prices, Europe has frequently seen incidents of counterfeiting edible olive oil in recent years, causing public concern about food safety issues in Europe.

According to reports, British media quoted EU statistics as saying that there were 50 cases involving olive oil quality and safety in the EU region in the first quarter of 2024, more than three times the same period in 2018, setting a new record in recent years. Relevant accident reports show that some so-called "extra virgin olive oil" products are actually cheap "mixed oils", and some merchants label ordinary olive oil products as "extra-virgin". In February this year, Germany exposed a typical case: an Israeli merchant labeled unrefined and counterfeit products that did not meet food standards as "extra-virgin olive oil" and sold them to European countries. There are also reports that mineral oil and pesticide ingredients have been tested in some products, and glass fragments have been detected in inferior products.

The report said that the above cases were only problems detected by EU member states in cross-border trade and reported to the EU Health Directorate-General, and did not include edible oil products "sold domestically" by EU member states. The media speculated that the actual problems in the European olive oil market are much more serious. According to CNN, Italian police recently uncovered a major olive oil counterfeiting case in the south of the country and confiscated a total of 42 tons of "fake oil" with a market value of about $1 million. European News Network reminded consumers at the beginning of this year to carefully check the trademarks of "super-grade oil", saying that selling fake oil has become a "routine operation" in the European market.

It is reported that due to the sharp drop in olive oil production caused by drought and the impact of inflation, olive oil has been called "liquid gold". For example, the price of a Spanish olive oil was 262.50 euros (1 euro is about 7.85 yuan) for 100 kilograms five years ago, and it has risen to 787 euros in November 2023. Experts believe that similar chaos may also occur in the chocolate and coffee markets, because the raw materials of these two products are also directly affected by climate change, and "the more processed the food industry is, the more likely it is to attract scammers."