Aldi the first to sign up to olive oil code of practice
Aldi Australia has become the first grocery retailer to commit to the Australian Olive Association’s (AOA) Industry Code of Practice.The Code of Practice has been introduced to guarantee the authenticity and quality of certified extra virgin olive oils and distinguish such products from others in the marketplace. To be certified, every drop of oil in a bottle labelled extra virgin olive oil must meet or exceed standards for quality and must be free of smell and taste defects with a free fatty acid level of less than 0.8%.
Aldi now uses the Code as its own internal standard for all of its extra virgin olive oils – not just their Australian-produced offerings.
“The AOA has demonstrated clearly that not everything labelled extra virgin olive oil is the same,” Matthew Barnes, ALDI’s Managing Director – Buying explained. “We were stunned to discover that some imported extra virgin olive oils in the market were not fit to be labelled as such. So, we signed up to the AOA Code of Practice and we are proud to comply with these requirements to ensure our extra virgin oils are always fresh, of the highest quality and never mixed with any refined oils or contaminants.”
Paul Miller, AOA’s President, hopes the move will see other retailers follow suit.
“Ultimately, we’d like all supermarkets and retailers to get on board because it will be the consumer who wins,” he said. “Consumers will be buying what they think they’re buying – extra virgin olive oil.”
“Germany has the highest standard of olive oil testing in the world to ensure anything labelled extra virgin olive oil actually is what it says. We’ve brought some of the testing standards and methods to Australia and Aldi has agreed to take part.”
