The General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation, belonging to the Department of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia, has taken control measures against the sale of several brands of oil that contain false information on their labeling. And its content does not correspond to the classification that can be read on the products, ‘Extra virgin olive oil’ or ‘Mild olive oil’.
As the Ministry has pointed out in a statement, it was found that the brands were packaging edible oils without taking into account the health registration or hygienic conditions. In the interventions, which were carried out on December 4 and 5, products were identified in which companies from different parts of Andalusia are referenced: Campillo (Málaga), Almargen (Málaga), Baena (Córdoba), Lucena (Córdoba), Los Rosales-Tocina (Seville), Deifontes (Granada).
Among the brands included in the list is Tesoro de Olvida, extra virgin oil; Tierra de Arbequino, extra virgin olive oil; and Arbosana Valley, extra virgin olive oil. All of them are packaged by Hortelano Foods in Almargen (Málaga). Both the products and the labels have been seized by the Civil Guard.
Health has already informed the fraud control and agri-food quality authorities of Andalusia, in order to take the appropriate actions. In addition, the Region of Murcia has been notified, where defective products have also been located. However, due to the clandestinity of the activity, there is no traceability information so it is unknown if the containers have been able to reach consumers.
According to the information provided by the Civil Guard, the products could have been marketed in Los Rosales, Tocina, Seville and Huelva. That is why the Ministry has recommended that people not purchase oils with these labels. If you have them in your possession, you have asked that you refrain from consuming it, returning it to the point of purchase to prevent it from being reintroduced into the human food chain.
The Civil Guard has announced that it continues to coordinate actions on this clandestine chain of packaging for the purposes of food fraud. It has also communicated that the information will be updated as relevant developments occur.
