The Brazilian government banned the commercialization of two brands of olive oil on Tuesday (20): Alonso and Quintas d’Oliveira. The measure was taken after the manufacture of falsification of the products.
In an interview with CNN, sanitary doctor Gonzalo Vecina explained how olive oil tampering and risks to the consumer occurs. According to him, forgery is relatively common and easy to perform.
Difficulty in identifying
Vecina said it is difficult for the consumer to identify an adulterated product. “If the product is very badly adulterated, for the odor and taste, it may feel a difference from what an olive oil is,” he explained. However, adulteration is generally done more sophisticatedly, making detection almost impossible for the common consumer.
The sanitary doctor stressed that some oils have less interference in the flavor and odor of olive oil, facilitating forgery. He warned that the recent increase in the price of olive oil, due to the drought in Spain, made the practice even more attractive to counterfections.
Health risks
Regarding health risks, vecin reassured that, in most cases, adulteration has no major problems. “If it is an olive oil that has been mixed with any other type of oil, soy, canola, any other type, has no major problems for public health, but the consumer is being fooled in their good faith,” he explained.
However, he warned about the historical use of Couza oil on forgery, which can have negative effects on the cardiovascular system if consumed in large quantities. Currently, this type of tampering is less common.
Importance of inspection
Vecina emphasized the importance of the performance of health surveillance in the supervision of these products. He explained that the main responsibility is from the Ministry of Agriculture, with the support of the Health Surveillance System.
The sanitary doctor also highlighted the importance of the complaint by the population. “There has to be complaint because there is no way to be everywhere, no police are everywhere,” he said.
For consumers, the recommendation is to distrust very low prices and carefully check product labeling. In case of suspicion, it is important to make a complaint to the competent bodies.
Is this content originally published in counterfeit olive oil is bad? Sanitary doctor explains risks on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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