Two weeks ago Taaman CEO Chaim Shalom told Yated
Ne'eman the following telltale fact: If olive oil is
priced below NIS 20 per bottle it might be fake. One week
later Taaman olive oil could be found on grocery store
shelves for NIS 11.75. So what is the smart consumer to
conclude? This anecdote typifies the state of the olive oil
market in the chareidi sector during the Chanukah season. It
seems the rumor mongers who started disseminating stories
about supposedly fake olive oil did not imagine how high up
the rumors would spiral.
The wild competition in the lucrative oil market reached its
peak recently when competing dealers sent samples of each
other's products to the Israeli Standards Institute for lab
testing, only to find not a single brand met the institute's
standards. What are we to make of these findings? Have
commonly sold olive oils really been uncovered as fake? What
does the kashrus seal on the bottle indicate?
Vague Rumors
The first rumors in circulation spoke of revelations that
products labeled olive oil were actually not made from olives
according to the Standards Institute. These vague rumors from
unnamed sources effectively indicted all of the dealers
selling low-priced oils. The rumors were accompanied by
supposed telltale signs of fake olive oil.
Chaim Shalom of Taaman, whose oil was sold at a relatively
high price, explained that the primary identification mark of
fake olive oil is the price. "Every bottle sold today under
NIS 20 is suspect since the oils in Spain itself are
currently priced at approximately NIS 17 per bottle," he
said. The same rumors suggested the chareidi consumer could
also spot fake olive oil according to the shape of the
bottle. These rumors were accompanied by praise for the
quality of Taaman olive oil, which should be a sufficient tip-
off for even the innocent reader to realize this is not
exactly objective advice.
The rumors alerted the managers of chareidi grocery store
chains who were astonished to discover an attempt had been
made to set high price levels by disseminating vague rumors
about low-priced products. They insisted olive oil sold for
NIS 15-19 — and even less — was genuine.
The claims of false olive oil were reminiscent of the walnut
oil affair on Erev Pesach 5765, when major shortages in olive
oil jacked up prices significantly. At the time Yated
Ne'eman revealed that the exclusive importer, Taaman, was
accused of taking advantage of the situation to rake in large
profits at the public's expense. The company's CEO denied the
claims.
Discovered Fake Last Chanukah
Where did the rumors really originate? Apparently from a
combination of factors.
The only bona fide fake was a product labeled "Yerushalayim
Semen Zayit Katit," which HaRav Machpud's Yoreh De'ah
organization announced was no longer under their kashrus
supervision. But this was actually old news, for a simple
test revealed it was fake even before last Chanukah.
Last year the standards institute issue a press release
saying two brands of olive oil, Yerushalayim and Romis, had
been found to be diluted with soy oil although they were
packaged as fine pressed olive oil. Both brands were marketed
for eating, not for lighting purposes, whereas the recent
rumors referred to candlelighting oil.
Another brand, Menora, also lost its kashrus certification.
Contrary to rumors Chug Chasam Sofer of Bnei Brak did not
remove its kashrus certification because the product was not
genuine olive oil.
"We discovered the oil was purchased by a party that bought
the oil in barrels, bottled it and sold it to two dealers who
marketed it," a Chasam Sofer spokesman told Yated
Ne'eman. "We learned the bottled oil was sent to a
certified lab for tests and was found to be 100 percent pure,
clean olive oil. But because the oil was not under our
supervision at the time of packaging we removed our kashrus
certification and announced that Menora olive oil was not
under our responsibility."
"Anyone who reads the wording of the announcement carefully
can see this was stated very clearly, not that fake [olive
oil] had been discovered but that the oil was packaged
without supervision and therefore we do not take
responsibility for it. The decision was made several days
before we made a public announcement and certainly before the
rumors about fake [olive oil] began to circulate."
The Kashrus Seal and the Reliability of the Oil
The products the rumors refer to were marketed under mehadrin
kashrus. What does the kashrus seal indicate? Does the
hechsher apply only to the kashrus of the product or
does it include supervision over the reliability of the
claims by the manufacturer or dealer?
According to the Badatz Eida Chareidis its kashrus "includes
supervision to ensure the oil is 100 percent pure olive oil
as the label indicates. We are very careful to avoid
misleading the public in this matter, which is important in
and of itself."
Through its representatives in Eretz Yisroel, Dayan Osher
Yaakov Westheim's kashrus organization also confirms the
olive oil under its supervision is 100 percent pure. They say
Maagal Hashana Olive Oil was under their supervision "from
the start of the production process to the finish, all along
the way through the marketing of the product. In the middle
samples were sent to certified labs and it was found to be
clean olive oil."
Dr. Eliyohu Licht, a chareidi chemist and an established
authority in the area of kashrus, refused to comment on any
brand of olive oil, but remarked, "Every chemist checks the
samples brought to him at the lab and the certification
applies to these samples and not all of the products. The
chemist certainly does not oversee or grant a hechsher
for the products.
"I would also like to state regarding quotes that had me
saying one brand of candlelighting olive oil or another is
edible and the label `Semen Zayis Lema'or' is affixed
because of import customs, etc.—if the manufacturer
does not take responsibility the olive oil is edible nobody
else will take responsibility for determining the oil is
edible."
Pure Olive Oil — But Does Not Meet Standards
Dr. Eliyohu Licht explains in greater detail what tests are
conducted on olive oil.
The first test is to check the fatty acid, which provides an
indication of its source. Every type of oil has a different
composition, which allows us to identify whether it is olive
oil or a different type of oil, i.e. whether the olive
oil was diluted with a different type of oil. If the
additives are a substantial percentage they can be discovered
at this stage.
Two other tests relate to quality: Acidity testing: olive oil
contains free acids. The standard institute ascribes
different terms to olive oil according to a ranking of
acidity. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil has an acidity
level of up to 1 percent. Virgin olive oil has an acidity
level of up to 2 percent. Regular olive oil has up to 3.3
percent.
Beyond 3.3 percent acidity, according to the standards this
is inedible olive oil. Dr. Licht notes, "The public should be
made aware that even if the standard sets an upper limit of
3.3 percent still this does not mean that in actuality the
oil cannot be consumed. The limit is hard to determine. In
any event olive oil above 3.3 percent acidity is not fake. It
is pure, clean olive oil, but it is not of high enough
quality in the eyes of the Standards Institute. By the way,
acidity level is advancing and rising all the time [as part
of the normal aging process of olive oil]."
Another test is peroxide value: oil that comes in contact
with air oxidizes and goes bad over time. The standard
institute has determined that within one year of bottling the
peroxide level should not exceed 8. It definitely can happen
that when the bottle was filled the oil has a value of 2-3
and at the end of the year it is hovering around the 8-
mark.
This leads us to an interesting conclusion: olive oil should
not be stored, certainly not for more than a year, for its
quality diminishes over time.
Another test is solvent residue. Olive oil can be 100 percent
clean, but pose a health hazard. Using a chemical process oil
can be extracted from olive dregs after the pressing.
Although the oil is clean and has a low acidity level, its
quality is poor and it may contain chemical residue.
Note: This article addresses consumer, not halachic issues
surrounding olive oil (except for the sidebar).
Checking One Another
The closer Chanukah came the stiffer the competition became.
Dealers sent samples of competing brands to private labs for
testing and reveled in the findings: none met the standards
for olive oil. But their exultant claims competing brands
were "fake," were based on a lack of knowledge and
understanding, for the standards institute does not have a
separate set of criteria for candlelighting oil.
Did a shyster infiltrate the group of dealers involved in the
import and marketing of candlelighting oil and deceive the
public by diluting olive oil? This claim goes unsupported. It
goes without saying that the chareidi consumer should not buy
olive oil blindly but should choose the product based on the
trustworthiness of the importer, manufacturer and seller, and
of course mehudar kashrus.
In any event Yated Ne'eman's inquiries have paid off
since they played a part in bringing prices down from NIS 20-
30 per bottle to NIS 11-12 and even less.
