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Certification Olives New Zealand OliveMark
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To qualify for ONZ Certification New Zealand olive oil must meet specific requirements. These include bottling and labelling standards as well as the chemical and sensory criteria that Olives New Zealand has based on the International Olive Council (IOC) standards for extra virgin olive oil. These are:
Chemical Analysis: The Free Fatty Acid level measured as oleic acid must be less than 0.5% and the Peroxide Value less than 15mEq per kg. The standards for extra virgin olive oil set by the IOC are less than 0.8% FFA and a Peroxide Value of less than 20.
Sensory Analysis: This is undertaken by the ONZ Sensory Panel at the HortResearch Sensory Science Facility in Auckland. The oils are evaluated for the absence of defects and the presence of the required desirable attribute, namely fruitiness.
Labelling: the label on the oil must meet the required NZFSA standards, and have the month of pressing on it
Containers: oil must be in dark glass bottles or if clear bottles or light glass
bottles are used they must be packaged in a container that will
exclude light.
The ONZ Quality Mark Those oils that meet all the requirements are eligible to be sold under the ONZ Quality Mark. The Quality Mark guarantees that the oil is from New Zealand-grown olives and meets the appropriate standards for extra virgin olive oil.
To use the OliveMark seal the certification licensing agreement that regulates the use of the Seal must be signed.
As an industry we must rely on individual producers to undertake audits and to be vigilant for possible breaches of the standards. They should bring the matter to the attention of the Executive Officer of Olives New Zealand who will alert the producer of that oil to a possible breach of the standards.
You can download the following documents in pdf format. You will need Adobe Acrobat and the file sizes are over 100KB, so it may take a little while if you are using dial-up to access the internet.
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