"Why don't we honor the excellent varieties of olive oil in the same way that we honor the exquisite brands of wine?" That is the question Tom Muller, a popular journalist and blogger, completed his book, Extraverginità, presented yesterday in the Chamber of Deputies.
Since 2007, an American living in Liguria has studied various fraud methods used in the manufacture of one of the most famous products. made in Italy. And his work inspired journalists "New York Times" to create 15 graphic illustrations, united by a common name "Suicide extravergine".
At first glance, the allegations made against the Italian olive oil industry seem exaggerated, too general, and sometimes not accurate enough. For example, when it is claimed that Italian police officers rely solely on the flavor of a product to determine fraud cases. Or in the part that deals with the legality of the import of olive oil from Spain, Morocco and Tunisia and its labeling with bottle labels with the symbol "Made in Italy".
At the same time, the law obliges manufacturers to indicate on the bottle the country of origin of the olives, as well as the proportion of olive oil squeezed not in Italy.
Müller himself noted these inconsistencies at a speech in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday, renouncing 15 illustrations and explaining that “they are in no way connected with me or my work. Here we are talking about funny pictures that contain some truth, but also making mistakes. The developers reflected only a small part of the picture, ignoring the quality, but focusing on deception. " The journalist advised to wait for the publication of the edited version of the images, which will be released after his conversation with representatives of the New York diary.
Nevertheless, despite the distorted graphic representation of the concept (or maybe thanks to it), the presented book can give an impetus to tightening quality control and improving communication with consumers.
Because fraud and fraud in this area really exist, albeit not in the form shown in the American journal.
This was shown by journalistic and judicial polls. It is necessary to identify and prosecute dishonest dealers, without harming honest manufacturers. You should also explain to buyers, as Muller writes in his book, that it is better to avoid junk prices: "Olive oil priced below 4-5 euros per liter is likely to be of poor quality.".
And here is how Müller compares olive oil with wine: “The effect of wine on the human body is obvious and often sudden, while olive oil works with the body slowly, passing through hidden paths and quietly and gently seeping into cells and the mind. Wine is a cheerful Dionysus "olive oil is Athena, beautiful, wise and unrecognizable. Wine embodies the life we would like to have, while olive represents life as it is: fruitful, sharp, with a touch of bitterness."
