5.2. Regulatory and certification bodies regarding quality

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  • ISO standards

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental organization that promotes a variety of standards in diverse demands such as healthcare, technology, manufacturing and food production. The standards established by ISO are followed by companies in order to achieve consistent quality and safety. ISO ensures the recognition of established standards internationally.

The established ISO standards on oil olive production are included in ISO 8088:1994, titled as Equipment for olive cultivation and olive oil production โ€” Vocabulary. Also, the other standard ISO 5502:1992 โ€“ Oilseed Residues: Preparation of Test Samples. Determining the quality and purity of olive oil, the standard by ISO 12873:2010 โ€“ Olive Oils and Olive-Pomace Oils: Determination of Wax Content. The access to specific regulations or standards provided by the ISO is not available for free. In general, the above-mentioned standards are recognised by olive oil producing companies.

ยท EU Regulations

Regulations on agriculture, market and general production. The key regulations are considered the Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, relates to common organization of the agricultural sector, including olive oil. The following regulation includes Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104, describing the specific marketing standards, packaging, labels and characterization of each olive oil quality differences. Next is including the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2105, which is an implementation on specific methods for analysis and evaluation of olive oil quality. The role of the EU in the agriculture sector is crucial, as the legal enforcement of regulations provides more security for production and consumers.