From Grove to Bottle: Can You Trust Your Olive Oil?
Is your organic, single-origin, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) actually organic, single-origin, and made from olives?
It may surprise you to know that sometimes it isn’t despite what the label says.
In 2023, Spanish and Italian authorities uncovered massive food fraud schemes. Producers, often subcontractors to larger brands, were arrested for passing off lampante olive oil (a low-grade oil considered unfit for consumption due to poor flavor and quality) as prized extra virgin olive oil. Hundreds of thousands of liters were affected.
Earlier this year in Greece, an organized crime group was charged with blending sunflower oil and additives to mimic EVOO, deceiving both brands and consumers.
Why Olive Oil Is Especially Vulnerable
Whilst food fraud isn’t limited to olive oil, the nature of olive oil production, storage, and processing opens it up to fraud. As a raw material, it’s one of the most expensive cooking oils on the planet. Climate change is reshaping production zones, reducing yields, and putting pressure on once-thriving olive farmers to meet the supply demands. With global demand still strong, the temptation for fraud is high.
So how can brands and consumers trust what’s in the bottle?
Enter traceability.
Last month, while on vacation, I stopped at the local Carrefour to purchase my staple cooking products which included olive oil. As a conscious consumer and someone who works on supply-chain issues, I read labels. But a label is the bare minimum and they can’t always be trusted due to the aforementioned subcontractor fraud.
As I perused the shelf, I noticed that a particular brand, Terra Delyssa, had a QR code. Unlike a label, a QR code instantly verifies the claims for both the brand and the conscious consumer. This particular code demonstrated the precise traceability history of my specific bottle of olive oil. As soon as I saw the QR code, I scanned it.
The traceability platform sent me on a journey. It told the traceability story, step by step in the supply chain process, with photos and videos. It touted zero pesticide residue. The laboratory that tested this particular claim was part of the bottle’s supply chain journey.
Why This Matters
The EU, U.S., and other regions are rapidly implementing regulations that require substantiated sustainability and sourcing claims. Brands that fail to prepare risk penalties, seizures, and reputational damage. Those that invest in traceability position themselves as leaders.
Terra Delyssa is at the forefront of traceability. Other brands only had their labels. They aren’t just selling olive oil; they’re selling trust.
At GenuTrace, we enable this level of trust. Using forensic science such as stable isotopes, trace elements, molecular tracers, and digital product passports, we help brands across food, textiles, and personal care prove that their origin and sustainability claims are real.
The Takeaway
Traceability isn’t a nice-to-have - it’s the foundation of consumer trust and regulatory compliance. For brands, it’s the difference between being exposed in a scandal and being celebrated as transparent. For consumers, it’s the assurance that organic, single-origin EVOO is exactly what it claims to be.
At GenuTrace, we ask: If you claim it, can you prove it?™
About the Author
Kelly Thompson, EMEA Business Advisor to GenuTrace, is a supply chain and operations expert with over 15 years of experience advancing human rights, ethical sourcing, and ESG accountability across global industries. A certified CSRD and ESG fundamentals specialist and recipient of the 2019 Humentum Operations Excellence Award, she has led initiatives spanning humanitarian logistics, responsible procurement, and corporate sustainability, from improving labor conditions in global apparel and seafood sectors to developing multi-industry ESG supplier codes of conduct. Through her advisory work with GenuTrace and as founder of Matri, Kelly bridges high-level strategy with on-the-ground execution to help companies build resilient, transparent, and socially responsible supply chains.
