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Brazil reclassifies imported olive oils sold as extra virgin
The Ministry of Agriculture's laboratory, acting on a court order in a civil public action brought by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) in São Paulo, tested several olive‑oil products sold in Brazil as extra‑virgin. The analysis found that well‑known brands – Andorinha, Gallo, Borges, Gomes da Costa, Filippo Berio and Carrefour – actually meet the criteria for virgin olive oil, a lower grade. Samples of Costa D’Oro and Terras de Camões were classified as lampante, a category unsuitable for consumption without further refining.
Brazilian regulations require extra‑virgin oil to have free acidity of no more than 0.8 % and no sensory defects, while virgin oil may contain up to 2 % acidity and minor imperfections. Lampante oil is deemed unfit for direct use. The MPF said the results confirm suspicions of fraud in the market and will be used to request stricter controls on bulk and bottled imports. The Instituto Brasileiro de Olivicultura (Ibraoliva) also called for tighter inspection of imported olive oils, warning of potential health risks for consumers.
Entities
Andorinha · Costa D’Oro · Federal Public Ministry (MPF) · Instituto Brasileiro de Olivicultura (Ibraoliva) · Ministry of Agriculture (Brazil)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The analysis was ordered by a judicial determination in a civil public action filed by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) in São Paulo bpmoney.com.br · globorural.globo.com · exame.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Extra‑virgin olive oil must have free acidity ≤0.8 % and no sensory defects; virgin olive oil may have acidity up to 2 % and minor defects; lampante oil is unfit for consumption globorural.globo.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The MPF said the results confirm suspicions of fraud in the olive‑oil market and will be used to request tighter import controls globorural.globo.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The laboratory that performed the tests is the Federal Laboratory of Agricultural Defense (LFDA) globorural.globo.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Non‑conforming samples can be retested after notification of the responsible parties exame.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Ibraoliva called for stricter inspection of imported olive oils after the test results bpmoney.com.br
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry of Agriculture's laboratory found that olive oil brands Andorinha, Gallo, Borges, Gomes da Costa, Filippo Berio and Carrefour sold as extra‑virgin in Brazil were actually classified as vi bpmoney.com.br · globorural.globo.com · exame.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The laboratory classified Costa D’Oro and Terras de Camões as lampante, a product unsuitable for consumption without refining bpmoney.com.br · globorural.globo.com · exame.com