Curiosity

Food traceability: the origin of our oil

Food traceability is synonymous with safety and consumer protection, but for us it also means highlighting the quality of our products and building a relationship of trust with our customers. Food Traceability, European Union Regulations EC Regulation 178/2002 (which entered into force on 1 January 2005), also known as the General Food Law Regulation , paved the way by making food traceability mandatory. The European Union has recognized the ability to trace products throughout the entire production chain as a priority, in order to guarantee safety and quality, but also to ensure ever-increasing transparency for consumers. The agri-food sector has always been threatened by counterfeiting. This phenomenon is widespread globally and has often involved the world of olive oil. When it's not actually fraud, consumers are at risk of encountering misleading names and ambiguous laws . It hasn't always been easy to obtain clear information and distinguish a slogan from nutritional information by reading a product label. Hence the need for regulation and the obligation for companies to " reconstruct and follow the path of a food, a feed, a food-producing animal or a substance intended or expected to be used in a food or feed through all stages of production, processing and distribution ". Food business operators must have systems and procedures in place to make all information regarding the cultivation, production, packaging, storage, and preservation of each product placed on the market available to the competent authorities. Furthermore, they must be able to identify who supplied them with a product or any substance that becomes part of a food. The internal traceability system for its products guarantees greater food safety and allows for corrective action at any point in the production chain should problems or risks arise. Transparency on the label Nine years after EC Regulation 178/2002, the European Union approved Regulation No. 1169/2011 (mandatory provisions from December 2014) on the information on food products to be made available to consumers . The founding principle in this case is consumer protection. Food traceability also begins with the label. For this reason, Regulation no. 1169/2011 establishes the criterion of good readability and establishes that food labels must be clear and understandable to allow consumers to make more informed food and dietary choices . All information provided must be clearly visible . Great attention must therefore be paid to font size , letter and line spacing , weight , color , letter-height ratio, material surface, and significant contrast between the text and the background. Mandatory information Among the mandatory food information that must be provided to the final consumer are: (a ) the identity and composition, properties or other characteristics of the food ; b ) the protection of consumer health and the safe use of food, namely: – attributes related to the composition of the product that may have a harmful effect on the health of certain categories of consumers; – the shelf life, storage conditions and safe use; – the impact on health, including the risks and consequences associated with harmful and hazardous consumption of the food; c ) nutritional characteristics that enable consumers, including those who must follow a special diet, to make informed choices. Furthermore, information provided on a voluntary basis must not be misleading and must comply with fair practices; it cannot be ambiguous or confusing; and, where appropriate, it must be based on relevant scientific data. Companies are also required to indicate the batch number on the label . This allows the identification of the lot to which a food product belongs; that is, the set of sales units produced, manufactured, or packaged under virtually identical conditions. The batch and traceability of oil In the case of oil, a batch is a collection of previously harvested olives that have undergone the same transformation process. The information provided in the production batch must be able to trace all stages of the supply chain, from olive pressing to oil storage and bottling. Each step is authenticated in a digital register, which the producer is required to communicate to the Ministry of Agriculture within six days. The batch, together with a short supply chain and a clear label, represents the maximum guarantee for the consumer. Oil traceability is guaranteed. In the event of reports or inquiries made to the producing company, it is always possible to trace the family of origin of a bottle or can of oil, and therefore, the batch of olives from which it was obtained. Track the batch of your Pace Oil To ensure greater accessibility and transparency, Olio Pace has chosen to offer its customers a direct channel of communication with the company . Those who serve our oil every day can access the identity card of each batch. Simply visit the Product Traceability page and enter the batch number you wish to identify to find out the exact origin of your oil, whether bottled or canned. TRACK YOUR OIL HERE