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Higher prices mean better quality? When it comes to olive oil, the opposite is true. Experts see the cause as a global problem.
Berlin – The ever-popular olive oil has recently caused quite a stir. And that doesn’t just mean the horrendous prices in supermarkets due to poor olive harvests. Because to make matters worse, in contrast to the rising black market prices of olive oil the quality continues to improve.
The lack of olive oil quality is clear in the latest test results Stiftung Warentest. Take as a reaction Edeka and Kaufland three products from the range. Researchers see rising prices and increasingly poor quality as a result of climate change.
Edeka and Kaufland are removing olive oil from their range after devastating test results
After the poor olive oil test results from Stiftung Warentest, in which several products failed, Edeka and Kaufland are now drawing the conclusion: both food retailers have withdrawn the affected batches from circulation. Loud MDR CURRENT Kaufland justified the reaction by saying that the “impeccable quality of our products and the safety of our customers” had top priority. The information of the ARD lunchtime magazine Edeka also immediately began analyzing the causes.
Edeka and Kaufland are drawing consequences from the test results from Stiftung Warentest because, in addition to the taste, quality defects have also occurred in the chemical composition of the olive oils. © IMAGO / imagebroker
The affected products are the “Edeka Gut & Günstig extra virgin olive oil”, the “Kaufland K-Bio extra virgin olive oil” and the “Kaufland K-Classic extra virgin olive oil”. The trigger for the withdrawal from the range is said to be the poor test result in the “test” magazine issue 04/2024.
Of the 23 olive oils from different manufacturers tested, only four received the grade “good”. However, the failure rate is much more alarming. Six products were rated “poor” and therefore did not pass the test:
Edeka Gut & Günstig extra virgin olive oil5.0Kaufland K-Bio extra virgin olive oil (organic)5.0Kaufland K-Classic extra virgin olive oil5.0Bio Planete extra virgin olive oil mild (organic)5.0Fiore extra virgin olive oil5.0La Espanola extra virgin olive oil5, 0
“More often rancid or pungent” – climate change as a cause of poor olive oil quality
Stiftung Warentest comments on the results of the olive oil tests accordingly: “Products of the highest quality, extra virgin, often taste rancid or pungent, and the chemical quality is also weaker than usual.” Vincenzo Verrasto explains why this is the case in the test report. Verrasto is an agricultural engineer at the CIHEAM institute, which researches agriculture in the Mediterranean regions. According to him, the main reason for the declining quality of olive oils over the last five years is climate change.
More and more growing areas are struggling with dried-out soils due to prolonged periods of drought. Even olive trees come under heat stress. © IMAGO / Jochen Tack
More precisely, mild winters and warm springs are to blame for increasingly poor harvests, the agricultural engineer reveals in an interview. Cold winters are essential so that the olive trees can prepare for the next flowering phase. In addition, it is far too hot in spring, which makes pollination more difficult. With the absence of cold days, too many pests would survive the winter, which would also reduce the quality of the harvest. The expert sees the solution as sustainable organic farming, as heat stress can be managed more efficiently.
Unfortunately, poor food ratings from Stiftung Warentest are no exception. For example, in the quality test for fish fingers, just two out of 19 products achieved the grade “good”. (mh)