Posted on 06/04/2010 4:31:40 PM PDT by Artemis Webb
CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. – Extra virgin, light, with lemon, unfiltered, cold-pressed: the variety of olive oil on most supermarket shelves is dazzling. But what does it all mean?
These terms might be common currency among foodies and the farmer's market crowd, but they have never been enforceable, or legally defined in the United States — until now.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in April adopted scientifically verifiable standards for nomenclature such as "virgin" or "extra virgin," with extra virgin considered the highest quality because it has the best flavor.
(snip)
"It will put an end to marketing terms that are confusing to the consumer, such as light, extra light — language that really doesn't meant too much," said Patricia Darragh, executive director of the California Olive Oil Council, a trade association of producers responsible for most US-grown olive oil.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Don Vito will make sure that they buy it- whatever it is.
(From the book, not the movie.)
/johnny
If you can tell first cold press from oil diluted with cottonseed oil by looking you’re God.
/johnny
Never thought I would see FReepers cheer for Big Brother being the language police.. but today is weird. Earlier today we had some guy rooting for those Hippie pirate Sea Shepards.
Yes, Clemenza and Tessio are the ‘salesmen’, with the Don stepping in only if a shop owner refuses their ‘sales talk’ .... (from the book)
If I thought it was the government overreaching I might agree with you. But I don’t.
So am I. There’s nothing wrong in demanding standards and transparency in marketing guidelines. If you market your olive oil as “extra virgin”, it had better be “extra virgin”, meeting a well-defined standard. This is exactly like our standards of gold. Gold sold as 18k had better be 18k, or someone’s going to be looking at fraud charges.
Yup.
As an aside, I was amazed that Clemenza was ever suspected of anything- he struck me as wholeheartedly loyal to the core.
Really? So you don't mind when you buy something marketed as "sterling silver" and you find out later it's really just chrome plated? You're fine with that? You don't think the government has any role in enforcing "truth in advertising" standards?
All I want is to be getting Extra Virgin Olive Oil when I pay for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Fraud is too easy and the consumer can’t tell a difference by appearance.
That looks like a State function or a tort, from my point of view.
/johnny
So in the the Popeye cartoon; Was Olive Oil a virgin or extra virgin?
Re #10 and #12:
Good analogies.
That is a tort, individually, and possibly fraud charges at the State level.
What gives the FedGov the lawful power to regulate that?
/johnny
Labeling. If it says 100% cotton, it better be. If it says no peanuts [to avoid nut allergies], it better be.
If it says 70% chocolate, or Dutch process, or water process ... or that the ciffee beans are from Columbia. Nothing wrong with accurate labeling.
Where does the power to enforce that reside, Constitutionally? At the state level? Or FedGov?
/johnny
Does the FDA do it now? How could the states individually regulate labeling?
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