State's Olive Oil Tasters Flunk Test of Distinction

California's olive oil police have been pulled over.

An industry panel that for five years has certified the quality of California's olive oil -- discerning virgin from extra virgin oil -- has flunked an international taste test.

The failure comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture mulls over new olive oil grading standards. The agency's guidelines date to 1948 and don't even include the term "extra virgin olive oil."

The lack of stringent U.S. regulations prompted the California Olive Oil Council in 2001 to use its own tasting panel. The group doesn't have enforcement powers, but signals its approval by issuing seals to products that meet international standards for extra virgin oil, prized by both home and professional chefs for salads, baking and entree preparation.

However, the specially trained 22-member panel failed an annual test of its sensory skills last year. In January, the International Olive Oil Council pulled its formal recognition of the panel as a certifying body.

"It is an issue and we are concerned about it," said Karen Guth, president of the California council. As a backup, the group is negotiating to send samples of oil produced by its members to an overseas tasting panel for certification while it seeks to regain international recognition in tests this year.

Mislabeled olive oil is more than a theoretical debate.

In February, federal agents raided a New Jersey warehouse where they seized 22,700 gallons of Hermes and San Giovanni branded extra virgin olive oil and pomace olive oil.

The imported products consisted almost entirely of soybean or vegetable oil, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Because olive oil is typically five or six times more expensive than soybean oil, the FDA estimated that the potential profit to be gained by the substitution was more than $100,000.

The FDA took action because the product was soy rather than olive, but the agency doesn't look into whether grades of olive oil are labeled correctly, as long as the oil comes from olives, spokesman Michael Herndon said.

Last year, the California council filed a lawsuit against Napa Valley Trading Co. alleging that the purveyor mislabeled some of its products because it was blending in imported oils. Napa Valley Trading settled the lawsuit by agreeing to revise its labels to better reflect the origin of the oils and to require its suppliers to test the oils to ensure they meet international standards for what can be called extra virgin.