Olive business
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Best Practice Series Michael Southan, AOA OliveCare® Administrator
The OliveCare® program is all about helping olive producers achieve quality. With that aim, the Best Practice Series of articles discusses how to increase the yield of premium EVOO through best practice management strategies from the grove to the consumer.
Best practice packaging and distribution Harvest is over or well underway for most growers now, so it’s time to start planning for the next crucial stage in the process, getting your finished product to market. To make the process as failsafe as possible, and ensure you tick all the necessary regulatory boxes, OliveCare® Administrator Michael Southan has shared these comprehensive checklists from the wealth of guidance documents among the program’s resources. Industry issues identified
Included in the OliveCare Administrator’s activities is a scan of the annual AIOA competition exhibits, which assists in gauging industry labelling compliance. A number of issues have been identified in recent years, including: CoOL - not displaying the mandated Country of Origin logo, and/or the Country of Origin statement not presented in the correct prescribed format; Ingredients - lacking ingredients line adjacent to the Nutrition Information Panel on the back label, as required by the FSANZ Food Standards Code - e.g. Ingredients: 100% Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Storage instructions - not including olive oil/table olive storage instructions on the back label, as required by the FSANZ Food Standards Code: “The label shall include specific storage conditions necessary to ensure the validity of the best before date declared on the label. The statement of those conditions shall be of equal or greater prominence as the best before date” – e.g. • Olive oil - Storage Instructions: Store in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. • Table olives - Storage Instructions: Refrigerate after opening. • Hazard warning - not including a hazard warning – e.g. • Table olives - Warning: May contain olive pits (stones) Best consumed by - while not mandatory, a ‘best consumed by’ recommendation is useful information for consumers. The accepted industry recommendation for EVOO is Best consumed within 3 months of opening, based on RIRDC/NSW DPI research on the effects of exposure to oxygen on oil quality.
A number of elements on food product label are mandatory, so it’s crucial to ensure that yours are compliant with current regulations.
AOA product labelling guides The AOA has also created a series of labelling guides for EVOO, Flavoured Olive Oil and Table Olive products, which provide comprehensive step-bystep guidance on label compliance and recommendations. All are available as downloadable pdfs on the AOA website - www.australianolives.com.au/labellinginformation.
46 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • June 2022 • Issue 124
OliveCare® Product Packaging, Labelling and Finished Product Distribution Best Practice Checklist Minimise waste: Setting environmental sustainable goals for the use of packaging materials: • commitment to minimal, recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging; • aim for 100% of packaging being recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025; • minimise net waste (balancing packaging waste vs food waste). Product labelling: Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for labelling and distribution of olive products: • Comply with (FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand), (ACL (Australian Consumer Law) and industry product labelling requirements by always applying: » Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) logos to product front labels*; » Net Contents on front label - ml/L for liquids, g/kg for solids; » Best Before Date (BBD) on back label, based on objective testing/ measurement; » Ingredients list on back label - in order of greatest % to least %; » Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) on back label - as per FSANZ guide**; » Storage Information on back label (also include instructions for opened product if different, e.g. refrigeration) *Use on on-line sales platforms is optional but recommended. **For detailed information on NIPs for olive products, refer to pages 46-48 of the December 2021 edition of Olivegrower & Processor.
