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Feds put lid on bogus olive oil
NorthJersey.com ^ | 02.10.06 | AMY KLEIN

Posted on 02/12/2006 7:54:45 PM PST by Coleus

Federal agents who raided a Clifton warehouse Thursday weren't looking for the typical heroin mill or pile of laundered money.

They were after a more slippery stash.

The agents seized about 22,700 gallons of oil after the Food and Drug Administration found that the Hermes and San Giovanni brands had been substituting soybean oil for some of their extra virgin and pomace olive oil.

Olive oil is approximately five or six times more expensive than soybean oil, according to the FDA, which estimated the profit of the swap at $105,600.

"We will not permit New Jersey consumers to be defrauded," said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie. "We should all have confidence that the products we purchase are what they purport to be."

The labels on the 3-liter tins of oil in 4,855 cases represented that each contained extra virgin olive oil or pomace olive oil, when in fact the tins contained quantities of soybean oil or a similar substance, federal authorities said.

In addition, the Hermes label states that its oil was imported from Greece, while a federal seizure warrant states it was packed in Italy, they said. The oil will remain at the warehouse, belonging to Quivican Trucking Corp. on River Road in Clifton, while the U.S. Attorney's Office seeks a court order to have it destroyed.

"We're working with the company to rectify the situation," said FDA spokeswoman Cathy McDermott. "The FDA and Department of Justice will be working with the company to bring it to closure." Prior to the seizure by U.S. marshals, the oil had been held at the warehouse under a state-ordered embargo that was requested by the FDA, McDermott said.

According to several online stores, a three-liter tin of Hermes extra virgin olive oil sells for about $17. Hermes is owned and distributed by Krinos Foods, which is headquartered in Long Island City, N.Y. San Giovanni olive oil is distributed by DMK Marketing, LLC, based in East Moriches, N.Y.

It's not the first time Krinos Foods has been accused of adulterating its olive oil. In 1997, a similar seizure warrant was filed in New York for more than 1,700 cases of Hermes olive oil that had been mislabeled. The president of Krinos did not return calls for comment Thursday. McDermott said the FDA learned about Krinos' latest apparent attempt to substitute another oil in its Hermes brand from a media report that exposed the alleged fraud.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; US: New Jersey
KEYWORDS: canola; chlorophyll; fakeoliveoil; hermes; oliveoil; sangiovanni; soy
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1 posted on 02/12/2006 7:54:46 PM PST by Coleus
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To: Coleus

This is sacrilege. Olive oil is one of the staples of a long, healthy life. That some olive oil purveyors would subsitute soybean oil and call it olive oil is an abomination. Soybean oil is not that good for you. It's analagous to a beer brewery using putting rice into a brew that should only contain water, yeast, hops and barley.


2 posted on 02/12/2006 7:59:03 PM PST by SamAdams76 (Hunting with Cheney is still safer than driving with a Kennedy)
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To: SamAdams76

Love your tagline.

Any idea whether this stuff made it outside NJ, perhaps under a different label?


3 posted on 02/12/2006 8:00:19 PM PST by RightOnTheLeftCoast (You're it)
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To: Coleus
We will not permit New Jersey consumers to be defrauded,"...

LOL!

The head of these companies comitting this fraud shoud be elected to office by the geniuses who vote in Jersey. They'd get a cleaner gubmint.

4 posted on 02/12/2006 8:00:40 PM PST by zarf (It's time for a college football playoff system.)
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To: Coleus

Looks like the "Great Olive Oil Caper" got busted. LOL


5 posted on 02/12/2006 8:00:46 PM PST by Fiddlstix (Tagline Repair Service. Let us fix those broken Taglines. Inquire within(Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: SamAdams76
it's not just the substitution, this guy defrauded the public out of over $100K and it's not his first offense.
6 posted on 02/12/2006 8:00:48 PM PST by Coleus (IMHO, The IVF procedure is immoral & kills many embryos/children and should be outlawed)
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To: Coleus

Trust Genoa Olive Oil Importers™.

7 posted on 02/12/2006 8:01:49 PM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: martin_fierro

Genco.


8 posted on 02/12/2006 8:02:27 PM PST by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: Wally_Kalbacken

What are you, a Wise Guy?

< |:)~


9 posted on 02/12/2006 8:03:09 PM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: Coleus
This is the brand?


10 posted on 02/12/2006 8:07:36 PM PST by fallujah-nuker (America needs more SAC and less empty sacs.)
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To: SamAdams76
This is sacrilege. Olive oil is one of the staples of a long, healthy life. That some olive oil purveyors would subsitute soybean oil and call it olive oil is an abomination. Soybean oil is not that good for you. It's analagous to a beer brewery using putting rice into a brew that should only contain water, yeast, hops and barley.

It is sacrilege, but I wouldn't say that soybean oil is not that good for you. It's been substituted in some very fine restaurants in place of butter when serving bread for the very reason that it is healthier.

It's got no cholesterol as well. It's a great frying oil. Obviously it doesn't have all the properties of olive oil however.

11 posted on 02/12/2006 8:13:00 PM PST by Fruitbat
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To: SamAdams76
"That some olive oil purveyors would subsitute soybean oil and call it olive oil is an abomination."

Perhaps we could initiate a "Food for Oil" program whereas we exchange hops for oil. We could then secretly substitute rice for hops and in return we would likely get soybean for olive oil. Wow, talk about a slippery slope!

12 posted on 02/12/2006 8:15:46 PM PST by Rabble (Just When is John F sKerry going to release his USNR military records ?)
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To: Fruitbat

Sheesh, and I have some Hermes ties, could they be polyester?

Nah.


13 posted on 02/12/2006 8:16:24 PM PST by Hilltop
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To: Hilltop

Huh?


14 posted on 02/12/2006 8:17:57 PM PST by Fruitbat
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To: Fruitbat
Paint varnish is made from soybean oil, along with safflower oil and sunflower oil. It's heated at high temps for several hours and the result is a vat full of varnish. When I realized that the sticky stuff on the outside of frying pans is also called varnish, I put two and two together. My suspicion is that when foods are fried with these oils, real varnish is also being made in the pans also. I won't fry with anything but olive oil anymore.

There are some oils that are able to take high temperatures better than others, olive oil being one and peanut the other. Another issue with substituting oils is allergic reactions; some people are sensitive to soy. Deliberately mislabeling something can be a real health hazard.

15 posted on 02/12/2006 8:25:08 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Fruitbat

I can tell you're from the the south, you said, "It's got no." not, "It has no..." That's ok, I'm from the South as well.

Hermes is an upper end tie, made of exquisite silk.

You missed the correlation.

To confound your further, the olive oil, allegedly, was fugazzi.


16 posted on 02/12/2006 8:36:30 PM PST by Hilltop
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To: Coleus
"We will not permit New Jersey consumers to be defrauded," said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie...he had no comment, however, when asked about former Gov McGreevy paying his absolutely unqualified boyfriend with tax funds as NJ's Director of Homeland Security - apparently fraud by 'rat politicians in NJ is perfectly permissible......
17 posted on 02/12/2006 8:45:34 PM PST by Intolerant in NJ
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To: Coleus
I cook with Bertolli extra light. Fry's up chicken very nicely.
18 posted on 02/12/2006 8:46:09 PM PST by processing please hold (Be careful of charity and kindness, lest you do more harm with open hands than with a clinched fist)
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To: SamAdams76

It's part of the Fool for Oil program. Corzine was hoping to use the proceeds to avoid raising every tax in the state to the tune of 5 billion dollars.


19 posted on 02/12/2006 8:46:39 PM PST by kylaka
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To: SamAdams76; Chieftain

I LOVE your tag line!!!


20 posted on 02/12/2006 8:53:25 PM PST by Recovering Ex-hippie (I am soooo sick of Oprah!!!! Oprah, STFU !)
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