24 brands of oil are suspended by the government after inspection; see list

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) suspended the sale of 150,000 bottles of olive oil from 24 different brands due to irregularities such as adulteration, smuggling and fraud, according to the folder.

The products were considered unfit for consumption by the ministry and removed from supermarket shelves in six states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Goiás and Ceará.

According to Mapa, the most common fraud in the manufacture of olive oil is the mixing of soy oil with artificial colors and flavors that simulate the original product. In addition, there are also cases in which refined olive oil is marketed as extra virgin oil, considered purer thanks to its lower acidity.

According to the inspection, three clandestine factories were found that were filling a mixture of vegetable oils of unknown origin. The registration of a factory in the interior of São Paulo that would have tampered with its products during 2021 was also suspended.

Other irregularities found in the products, according to the authorities, were the absence of official registration and product smuggling.

According to the Ministry, olive oil is the second most defrauded food in the world, after fish, and the inspection operation was motivated by the increase in consumption during the holiday season.

The folder issued a recommendation for consumers not to buy oil from brands whose marketing has been suspended and warned that supermarkets that display the products for sale may be fined up to R$532,000.

The brands were suspended:

• Alcazar
• Alentejano
• Anna
• Barcelona
• Barcelona stained glass
• Castle of the Moors
• Real crown
• from the olive
• Del toro
• from the boss
• Epic
• farm estate
• Figueira da Foz
• Wood Island
• Monsanto
• Monte Ruivo
• Porto Galo
• Porto Real
• Quinta da Beira
• Quinta da Regaleira
• Galicia Tower
• Tradition
• Brazilian Tradition
• Old valley

​The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply recommends, when buying olive oil:

• Be wary of prices well below the market average for the product
• Check the list of illegal products already seized, available on the Ministry’s website
• Pay attention to the olive oil packaging, which must be dark, to preserve the oil’s properties
• Give preference to products with a more recent filling date

A leaf contacted the companies responsible for the olive oil brands Do Chefe, Barcelona, ​​Barcelona Vitrais, Tradição and Tradição Brasileira, but did not get any feedback.

Robson de Freitas, owner of the Azeite Valle Viejo brand, stated that the seized product is a similar and counterfeit version of the brand’s oil, and that he will take the appropriate legal measures against public bodies that disclosed the names of the brands without specifying the responsible manufacturer . ​The contacts of other companies were not found.