California Now Harvesting One of the Largest Olive Crops in Years
CNBC TV Highlights $500 Million U.S. Market
BERKELEY, Calif. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) October 21, 2007 --
“The New Oil Boom,”
(olive oil, that is) is featured on last Friday’s
CNBC’s “Squawk on
the Street, Another
Type of Oil with Jane Wells.” In her
piece, Ms. Wells covered “a new oil boom, and
a new oil war,” referring to doubled U.S.
production and the push by U.S. producers for “truth
in advertising” on labels. As the originators
of more than 98% of all the extra virgin olive oil produced domestically,
California producers
are competing against dozens of imported oils, many of which may be
incorrectly labeled. Ms. Wells commented that some producers from other
countries “have maybe mixed in canola oil …
” and “call their
olive oil extra virgin, even if it’s only like
a virgin.”
“Fortunately, new USDA standards for olive
oil are expected to be adopted by the end of the year,”
notes Patricia Darragh, Executive Director of the California Olive Oil
Council (COOC), which has focused its
efforts on this issue. To combat mislabeling, the California Olive Oil
Council places its seal of certification on oils that meet its rigorous tests
for extra virgin olive oil,
the highest quality olive oil a consumer can buy.
With the growth in the U.S. olive oil market averaging 20% per year, (“thanks
to its health benefits,” as Ms. Wells
remarked) California is increasing production to supply oils
domestically. The current 2007-2008 harvest is expected to be the
largest in years, and that means, as Ms. Wells stated, that “California
is about to overtake France” in olive oil
production. And the weak dollar is helping. “The
cost of imported oils has been rising, so (consumers) have a chance to
taste fresh, delicious, authentic California oils at a good price,”
says Ms. Darragh.
About the COOC
The California Olive Oil Council was founded in 1992. The COOC is a
non-profit trade and marketing association whose purpose is to promote
the growing of olives and the production of olive oil in California. The
COOC supports certified olive oil standards and provides grower,
producer and consumer education. The COOC is dedicated to promoting
fresh, quality extra virgin olive oils made in California. Through our
Seal Certification program, we help everyone from home chefs to
restaurants find guaranteed extra virgin olive oils for their kitchens.
For more information, visit the COOC web site at www.cooc.com,
and view our three-minute video on the California olive oil industry, at www.cooc.com/video.html.
KEYWORDS: Olive oil extra
virgin California olive oil food
gourmet consumer
protection cooking connoisseur
epicure grocery
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/california/olive/prweb563041.htm
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