CONNECTICUT – The state’s Department of Consumer Protection took an unusual step to protect allergic citizens by setting standards for olive oil sold in Connecticut. This makes the state the first in the US to put such legislation in place – even before trend-setter California.

Lt. Governor Michael Fedele said, “we want to ensure that olive oil sold here is not tainted with peanut, hazelnut or soy oil, which could put many people with food allergies at substantial health risk.”

Apparently, there had been instances in Connecticut where oil being sold as “olive oil” was actually a mixture of soy oil and low-grade olive pomace oil. While the switch was not discernible to the palette, it was detectible through chemical testing. Products which mix oils put allergic consumers at risk: in fact, any processed food item (which does not declare any allergens on the label) could be an extreme health hazard to those with food-related anaphylaxis. Recent troubles with food recalls show that allergen-tainted product is a recognized problem that has people’s attention.

Olive oil is increasingly popular among health conscious consumers. It was the popularity of olive oil which both increased the risk to people with allergies and made the addition of cheaper ingredients attractive. Fedele went on to say, “Many people, particularly children and older adults, were put at serious risk by ‘doctored’ olive oil and there was [no legislation] prohibiting this deception. The new regulations now establish a ‘standard of identity’ for olive oil.”

The guidelines go farther than just protecting the allergic: they also protect all consumers of olive oil. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection has enacted new definitions of “virgin”, “extra virgin” and “pomace” olive oil so that consumers will know what they are getting when a product sports a particular label. This is the first time such terms have been legally defined in the US.