Today, Brazil is the third largest importer of olive oil in the world, behind only the United States and the European Union.
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According to data from the International Olive Council (International Olive Council, or IOC), in 2020 Brazil imported 104,179 tonnes of olive oil and olive pomace, 20% more than in the previous year.
With the increase in consumption, inspection actions by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) have been intensifying to prevent the sale of fraudulent products. The actions carried out in conjunction with other bodies registered a drop in the level of non-compliance with this type of product in recent years, also a result of the responsibility of merchants for the sale of oils with fraud.
Currently, olive oil is the second most defrauded food product in the world, only behind fish. The most common scam is mixing soybean oil with artificial colors and flavors. Cases of refined olive oil sold as extra virgin olive oil are also found.
In other words, it is impossible for the consumer to identify changes in these products when examining them on the market shelf, inside the package. Knowing the qualities of a good oil and identifying some common characteristics in fraud are ways to protect yourself.
According to the coordinator of Vegetable Product Inspection at the Ministry, Cid Rozo, it is precisely this difficulty in identifying altered products that allows for the high number of frauds involving this product. “Olive oil fraud is very profitable all over the world. That is why it is difficult to completely eliminate it from the marketâ€, he explains.
To avoid the proliferation of cases of olive oil fraud, the Ministry carries out an inspection plan with actions scheduled on average twice a year. Monitoring by inspectors takes into account the levels of oil consumption, the vulnerability of products, and the history of non-compliance by the brands.
In June 2021, an inspection was carried out in EspÃrito Santo and seized more than 2,000 bottles of oil. The products are still under technical evaluation and, soon, the results of the reports will be published by Mapa.
In retrospect of the task force actions, the level of non-compliance with this type of product was around 20% and, after successive inspection actions, it was possible to reduce the index to 1% in 2019.
In 2017, the Map detected that the volume of fraud in olive oil was very high. “In an inspection action, 200 brands were evaluated and fraud was identified in 56% of them. A very high and unacceptable level of non-complianceâ€, declares the Agricultural Fiscal Auditor of the Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory Paulo Gustavo Celso.
Inspection actions then become essential so that fraudulent products do not find a market.
When identifying a fraudulent product, the Map acts with Administrative Police Power. The Ministry inspectors determine the apprehension of non-compliant producers, the suspension of the marketing of the identified brands, the assessment and liability of the retailer and the product bottler, with a fine of a maximum amount of BRL 540 thousand, according to the batch found. in the inspection action.
As the seized product is unfit for consumption, it is properly disposed of and is generally used in the biodiesel industry or for other purposes.
The Map inspects another 80 products of plant origin, focusing on pesticide residue parameters, microbiological contamination (such as salmonella), heavy metal contamination. In addition to olive oil, flour and roasted coffee are examples of products that, with the naked eye, do not allow the identification of fraud.
The drastic drop in the percentage of fraudulent products was due, in addition to inspection of compliance, by the fact that the Ministry had defined that the merchant would also be held responsible for the sale of fraudulent oils.
“Many were aware of the irregularities and, even so, they sold the products without a guarantee of originâ€, emphasized the coordinator of Inspection of Vegetable Products, Cid Rozo.
He also highlights the work of the Map in conjunction with other agencies in task force actions when there is any incident or investigation already underway. "In these cases, the Ministry of Agriculture is called upon by public security bodies such as the Civil Police or even the Public Ministry to participate in the investigations."
This was the case of joint actions such as those carried out in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and, recently, EspÃrito Santo. ■