Food alert in Spain as 11 brands of olive oil withdrawn, including one ‘not suitable for consumption’

The General Directorate of Public Health of the Extremadura Health Service (SES) confiscated 11 brands of alleged fraudulent olive oil in Extremadura and Andalucia.

As reported by FACUA this Wednesday, March 15, the General Directorate of Public Health of the Extremadura Health Service (SES) brought to justice a case of alleged virgin olive oil fraud. It was confiscated last week in Extremadura and Andalucia for a crime against public health.

The Junta de Extremadura received the results of the first analyses carried out by the Extremadura Food and Agriculture Laboratory. They confirmed that at least one of the 11 intervened brands contained lampante oil, a variety unfit for human consumption.

Lampante oil is one of worse quality than other varieties. It can be lampante due to a problem with the olives it is made from. This can be the result of their being collected from the ground, or because they were too ripe. However, it can also become a lampante oil that is not suitable for consumption due to deficiencies in the production process. In this instance, it presents acidity values ​​or parameters that are not recommended to be consumed.

Despite the presence of this variety of oil in the seized brands, Santiago Malpica, the deputy director of Food and Environmental Safety of the Extremadura Health Service (SES), explained that the presence of lampante oil does not pose a health hazard. Its condition of being unfit for human consumption is only due to its ‘very poor quality and bad taste’.

Even so, the health authorities recommend that anyone who has acquired any of these oils should refrain from consuming them. They should contact their local Health Centre to be informed about the evolution of the alert and the actions to be taken.

The product had been on sale in retail stores, petrol stations and street markets in Extremadura and Andalucia under a total of 11 different brands. Specifically, these were in 5-litre bottles that were sold for a price of around €22.

As stated last Monday 13, by Jose Maria Vergeles, the Vice President and Minister of Health and Social Services, the food alert has already led to the seizure and withdrawal from the market of some 68,000 litres of oil due to alterations in the taste, smell, colour and consistency of the product.

The 11 brands of oil involved were: Acebuche, Virgen del Guadiana, Cortijo del Oro, La Campiña de Andalucia, Galiaceite 2022, La Abadia, Villa de Jerez, Don Jaen Aceite 2019, Imperio Andaluz, La Esmeralda, and Vareado, as reported by larazon.es.

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