92000E0158

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0158/00

by Vincenzo Lavarra (PSE) to the Commission

(26 January 2000)

Subject: Adulteration of edible oils: illicit mixing of olive-oil with hazel-nut oil

Italian olive-oil producers are alarmed at the increase in illicit mixing of olive-oil with hazel-nut oil.

Because of its chemical composition and organoleptic characteristics, which are similar to those of olive-oil, and its low price, about half the price of olive-oil, hazel-nut oil lends itself particularly well to adulteration of consumer products.

Hazel-nut oil is not specifically identified in the Combined Nomenclature (CN), but falls under the catch-all heading 15 15 9059. Importers are thus permitted to market the oil and designate it in customs papers by the wording crude seed oil or crude vegetable oil.

To reduce olive-oil adulteration, could the Commission:

1. allow hazel-nut oil to be identified as such by a specific CN code, as is the case for coconut oil, palm-kernel oil, and the like; and, in any event,

2. impose a ban to prevent hazel-nut oil being marketed under generic names such as crude vegetable oil or crude seed oil which have been used to date?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(21 February 2000)

The Commission thanks the Honourable Member for his written question on olive oil/hazelnut oil mixtures. This is a serious problem, difficult to resolve because the chemical characteristics of hazelnut oil make it difficult to detect with current methods. Such mixtures are not harmful to human health but have serious implications for the image of olive oil and its market.

New analysis methods that would be better at detecting the presence of hazelnut oil in olive oils are at present being tested. In the meantime the Commission will examine the Honourable Member's suggestion for a specific Combined Nomenclature heading for hazelnut oil. While not totally resolving the problem this might well help reduce the fraud risk.