Incatema Consulting initiates a study into the implementation of olive oil conformity controls in the European Union

24 April, 2019

Incatema Consulting & Engineering is initiating for Spain a study into the implementation of European conformity controls in the olive oil sector. The aim of this assessment, promoted by the Directorate General for Agriculture of the European Union, is to strengthen the community’s legislative framework, so that olive oil production and marketing continues to be an active engine of Rural Development, at the same time as a guarantee of access to healthful and top quality food products for the citizens of the EU.

Spain is the world’s first producer of olive oil in terms of both crop surface and production volumes, representing approximately 60% of the EU total and 45% of global production, having reached a production record of 1.6 million tonnes during the 2011-12 campaign.

Community legislation has been promoting for decades, along with the latest marketing regulation (EC 29/2012) common classification procedures, and control and analysis systems, known within the sector as “conformity controls”.

The necessary evolution of public policies requires assessment processes to determine the effects achieved by the existing standards, with a view to identifying new needs or deficiencies that could be covered by evolving the normative body.

In the words of Sergio de Román, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development of Incatema “through this study, Incatema contributes its experience in assessing the effects of control measures, fulfilment, and application implemented by Member States in the activity of olive oil production and marketing”.

Quality, a key factor in olive oil production

Quality is a key factor for achieving the end consumer’s trust, and consequently, for increasing its consumption in the European Union. For this reason, each Member State is obliged to safeguard compliance with oil classification standards and apply the olive oil control measures governed by the European legislation.

Research into the mechanisms implemented in the olive oil sector is a task that requires the collaboration of numerous companies, among which we find Incatema Consulting, as a partner of the Areté group, the main contractor for this study on a European scale.