Tag: olive oil
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Europe Announces Seizure of Counterfeit Dairy Products
Europol and Interpol have announced the seizure of 320 additional tonnes of “counterfeit and substandard food and beverages” following an operation that involved 83 countries, bringing the operation’s seizure total to about 12,000 tonnes. “This year’s operational activities have found a new disturbing trend to address: the infiltration of low-quality products into the supply chain,…
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Olive Oil Group Seeks Standard of Identity from FDA
The American Olive Oil Producers Association has filed a citizen petition urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “promulgate regulations for the standards of identity for olive oil and olive-pomace oil.” The lack of standard of identity has led to “widespread mislabeling of grades, adulteration, consumer mistrust, and unfair and unethical industry business…
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D.C. Court Dismisses Olive Oil Complaint
A D.C. court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Deoleo USA Inc.’s “extra virgin” olive oil, finding that the plaintiff failed to state a claim. Fahey v. Deoleo USA Inc., No. 18-2047 (D.D.C., entered November 8, 2018). Deoleo settled a similar lawsuit in March 2018, and the plaintiff “apparently caught wind of this news,” the court…
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Putative Class Action Alleges “Olive Oil” is 80 Percent Sunflower Oil
A plaintiff has filed a putative class action alleging Iberia Foods Corp. misleads consumers by selling its oil as Extra Virgin Olive Oil despite containing 80 percent sunflower oil. Okoe v. Iberia Foods Corp., No. 18-9161 (S.D.N.Y., filed October 5, 2018). The front label of the product, the complaint alleges, features a dark green background…
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Ninth Circuit Affirms Olive-Oil Class-Action Settlement
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has rejected a class member’s objection to a settlement between Salov North America Corp. and a class of Filippo Berio olive-oil purchasers. Kumar v. Salov N. Am. Corp., No. 17-16405 (9th Cir., entered September 11, 2018). The appeals court held that the district court properly found…
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Olive Oil Maker Settles Class Action for $7 Million
The maker of Bertolli olive oil has agreed to pay $7 million to settle a class action alleging the company misrepresented the origin and quality of its products. Koller v. Med Foods, Inc., No. 14-2400 (N.D. Cal., motion filed April 3, 2018). Deoleo USA previously removed the contested phrase “Imported from Italy” from the challenged…
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Safeway Settles Olive Oil Labeling Class Action
A California state court has reportedly approved a class action settlement that will provide vouchers or cash to state residents who bought Safeway olive oil allegedly falsely labeled as “imported from Italy.” Kumar v. Safeway, No. RG14726707 (Cal. Super. Ct., entered March 16, 2018). The class alleged that Safeway labeled its olive oil as imported…
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Italian Court Cancels Fine for Mislabeled Olive Oil
An Italian appeals court has reportedly voided a fine of €550,000 previously levied on Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG for selling bottles of mislabeled olive oil. The court ruled that Italy’s Antitrust Authority (AGCM) failed to explain why the company’s actions were negligent when the agency imposed the fine, which resulted from tests determining that bottles…