Amman — Following official and community warnings about the sale of adulterated olive oil near olive presses during the olive-pressing season, which is scheduled to begin in the middle of this month, President of the Association of Olive Press Owners and Olive Producers Taysir Al-Najdawi said the association is taking a series of measures, in cooperation with official authorities, to combat olive oil fraud, protect consumers and preserve the reputation of Jordanian olive oil.
اضافة اعلان
Al-Najdawi told Al-Ghad that any suspected cases of fraud are reported to the Jordanian Olive Oil Protection Committee, chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and comprising the association, as well as relevant regulatory bodies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, the Cybercrime Unit, the Royal Department for Environmental Protection, and the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization.
He said the committee is working to combat various forms of fraud that olive oil may be exposed to and to take deterrent legal measures in accordance with the laws, regulations and instructions in force at the participating regulatory authorities, in a way that safeguards the reputation of Jordanian olive oil.
Al-Najdawi added that the association maintains continuous coordination with the Audiovisual Media Commission to prevent the broadcast of misleading or questionable advertisements promoting olive oil at low prices that generally do not cover its production costs. He said these efforts have helped reduce the broadcast of such advertisements and their negative impact.
Consumer awareness
Al-Najdawi said the association participates annually in the national campaign to raise public awareness about the importance of purchasing olive oil from trusted sources. The campaign is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with regulatory authorities, the government and stakeholders in the sector.
He noted that this year’s campaign was launched at the end of last month under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture, under the slogan: “Test your olive oil and make sure it is genuine.”
According to Al-Najdawi, the association also coordinates with audiovisual and print media before, during and after the season to urge citizens to exercise caution when purchasing olive oil and rely on trusted sources to ensure they obtain a high-quality and safe product.
Awareness efforts also include guiding olive producers to follow good agricultural practices that contribute to producing high-quality olive oil.
Al-Najdawi called for intensified monitoring of olive oil sold in malls, shops, restaurants and hotels, whether locally produced or imported, to ensure its safety, quality and compliance with the Jordanian standard specifications.
According to Al-Najdawi, the association has also stressed to olive press owners the need to refrain from selling empty metal tins to citizens or any other party under penalty of legal liability. It has also called on metal packaging manufacturers not to sell empty containers for the purpose of filling olive oil except during the period from the beginning of September through the end of November each year. The containers must be printed with the name of the olive press or brand and the production season.
Exercise caution
For his part, Director General of the Jordanian Farmers Union Mahmoud Al-Oran urged citizens to purchase this season’s olive oil from trusted sources, warning that some traders become active at this time of year and may deceive consumers.
Al-Oran said some citizens fall victim to the greed of people who claim to be farm owners and olive oil marketers. He warned that some individuals around olive presses claim they have pressed their own olives and sell the oil as a fresh product.
He stressed that olive presses will not begin operating until after the middle of this month, following a decision by the Ministry of Agriculture.
He also called for a mechanism to regulate Tunisian olive oil circulating in local markets, to prevent it from being repackaged in new tins and sold as a locally produced product. He also called for monitoring misleading advertisements broadcast on some satellite channels and social media platforms offering “local” olive oil at implausible prices ranging between JD 50 and JD 60.
He explained that the cost of a tin of olive oil for farmers ranges between JD 75 and JD 80, making the prices being advertised impossible.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Abdullah Al-Rubeihat
