The Food Safety Authority has seized 1,070 litres of adulterated olive oil being sold in Portugal as high priced 'extra virgin.'
The Golden Oil operation aimed to stop the production and marketing of the adulterated oil and was triggered by a discovery at a Faro distributor whose olive oil stock was nothing of the sort.
When tested the liquid was shown to be a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oils of uncertain origin.
During an investigation which followed the supply chain from Faro back to source, bottles were impounded at retail and wholesale outlets and ASAE found that the oil has been produced by a packing company in Penamacor, Alentejo which was selling it as ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil.’
All bottles have been seized and ASAE has filed criminal cases of fraud and the selling of counterfeit foodstuffs.
