Judging Own Oils

Being a judge in a competition in which one enters one’s own extra virgin olive oils seems to be the norm in Australia. It is a practice which is frowned upon when discussed with the general public where the apparent vested interest is ethically unacceptable. Chief judges and organisers justify the practice by stating that the pool of experienced judges in Australia is small and in the shows it is ensured that judges do not judge their own oils.

Five judges on the Melbourne Fine Food Show panel had a direct or indirect interest in oils entered. One judge entered an oil in every class which would make it difficult to ensure that the judge did not score their own oil. Notably some judges who regularly enter their olive oils in competitions did not enter their oil in the Melbourne Show in which they were judging.

Some industry competitions such as the Australian Olive Association no longer publish the list of judges, possibly to avoid criticism of apparent vested interests and bias. Surely the simplest way to avoid such criticism is to rule that judges cannot enter oils with which they have an association.

Per Capita consumption of Olive Oil in US continues to Rise

Data presented at the recent Savantes programme in New York shows that per capita consumption of olive oil in the USA continues to rise steadily.

The consumption per person is approaching I litre per person.

United Kingdom Olive Oil Consumption is Flat

Data presented to Savantes in London in early March shows that consumption of olive oil in the United Kingdom has been around 1 litre per person for the last five years.

There was a slight rise to 1.2 litres in 2011 which can probably be attributed to lower prices.

Olive Oil Production Continues Decline Against Other Vegetable Oils

Updated data from the USDA shows that the percentage of olive oil produced continues to decline as a proportion of total vegetable oil worldwide. In six years since 2007 the percentage has dropped from 2.4% to 2.0%.

East Coast Biggest Users of Olive Oil in USA

In an analysis presented to Savantes New York in February, Eryn Balch, Executive Vice President of the North American Olive Oil Association, revealed that the Eastern States consume 54% of all classifications of olive oil in the USA.

Based on the US Census Divisions, the data showed the consumption as New England Division – 9%, Middle Atlantic 23% and South Atlantic 22%. By comparison the West Coast which is covered by the Pacific Division consumed 10%.

USA Short on Cost Effective Olive Oil Testing Facilities

For many Savantes participants the session on defects in olive oil was their first exposure to the full range of faults in olive oil. It was evident in the discussions that ensued that enterprises were committed to putting in place or enhancing in-house tasting panels and quality control systems. It was also apparent that there was a general lack of cost-effective, internationally accredited and independent testing facilities in the US.

There was a small percentage of olive oils presented for tasting which had possible defects, the suppliers of these oils will be informed of this with the suggestion that the oils be submitted to internationally accredited tasting panels for confirmation or otherwise of the extra virgin classification on the labels. In keeping with the international convention that these oils be classified by accredited panels, Savantes does not reveal the brand of the oils to participants to protect the integrity of the brand until the quality is properly and independently assessed.

Spanish Olive Oil Production Down, Prices Up, Consumption Steady

Drought has affected the Spanish olive crop and forecasters estimate a 30-40% reduction in olive oil yield for the coming harvest. However, this drop in production is to some extent counterbalanced by carryover stocks from the previous record harvest.

International Olive Council data shows in 2011/12 production exceeded consumption. The shortfall in the Spanish crop is expected to return the balance between production and consumption.

Olive oil is part of a group of oils used in cooking and salad dressings. According to forecaster Oil World (www.oilworld.biz) production of these oils will fall up to 18% in the next year.

In anticipation of these shortfalls olive oil prices have jumped significantly. According to Oil World, ‘Domestic prices in Spain for extra-virgin olive oil rose 40 percent from June to about 2,400 euros  a ton in September last week, and could surpass the previous March 2008 high of 2,633 euros to climb to at least 2,800 to 3,000 euros a ton’.

Italy’s olive-oil production, the world’s second-largest, is seen climbing to 540,000 tons from 518,000 tons, while output in Greece may advance to 355,000 tons from 335,000 tons’.

World consumption of olive oil is forecast to stagnate in 2012-13 after climbing for six consecutive years.  “It can be expected that consumption of olive oil will be affected by the prospective high prices and the widening of the price premiums relative to sunflower oil and other vegetable oils,” according to Oil World. (Source Bloomberg and Oil World)