Campaign against olive oil adulteration launched

AMMAN — A national anti-fraud campaign concerned with protecting the public against adulterated olive oil has been launched by multiple authorities under the name “Check Your Oil Before it Enters Your Home”.

The campaign, which is launched annually under different names, aims to raise public awareness about authentic olive oil and the reliable sources it can be bought from.

Agriculture Minister Mohammad Daoudiyeh  said in a statement that the national campaign “is one of the ministry’s control measures that helps preserve the national wealth, olive oil, by ensuring the safety and quality of the product as well as its safe deliverance to the consumer”.

Daoudiyeh called on the relevant national authorities, including the Agriculture Ministry, to provide a free oil inspection service to farmers and consumers alike.

The National Centre for Agricultural Research and the Jordan Food and Drug Association both announced that they are ready to receive olive oil samples for examination free of charge.

Director general of the centre Nizar Haddad stressed that “being the scientific arm of the Ministry of Agriculture compels us to support the olive oil sector by ensuring the quality of the oil through certified labs”.

Director General of the Jordan Food and Drug Association Nizar Muhaidat said in a statement that the association has prepared its multiple branches, in cooperation with the concerned authorities and partners in the campaign, to “control the spread of adulterated oil and help citizens avoid being subject of fraud by opening its doors to examine oil samples free of charge”.

Anas Barmawi, head of one of the association’s labs, called on citizens to “follow the guidelines published every year when buying olive oil”, adding that the association must be informed of sources that sell adulterated or low-quality oil.

Barmawi told The Jordan Times over the phone that sometimes citizens buy oil “without even getting the name of the seller, which makes it hard to catch these fraudsters”.

Spokesperson for the General Syndicate of Olive Oil Press Owners and Producers Nidal Samaeen said that the preliminary estimates issued by the syndicate indicate a decrease in olive oil production for the current season compared with last year.

“It is expected that production this year will range between 23,000-24,000 tonnes of oil olive,” Samaeen told The Jordan Times, attributing the decline in production this year to high temperatures that affected flowering.

The price of a tin of extra virgin oil is estimated to range between JD72 and JD82, according to Samaeen.