The Indian Olive Association (IOA) has released a statement in response to the widely-reported Indian ban on European olive oil.
Recent news has suggested Indian ports refused to clear European foods including olive oils and held the oils and other perishable imports in unsuitable warehouses. The blockage was claimed to have been in response to the EU’s temporary ban on Indian mangos and fruits after pests were found among a portion of the shipments.
According to the statement released by the IAO, “All such reports are incorrect and the olive oil industry in India does not currently have uncleared consignments that have been denied entry into India.”
It further contradicts the claim that unidentified salt content in oils were part of the reason for the imposed ban. “The salt content issue refers to table olives and not olive oil. The Indian trade standards for table olives are different from the trade standards in Codex, for example olives darkened by oxidation must have a minimum sodium chloride percentage of 7 percent in brine whereas in Codex it is GMP.”
See Also:India Blocks European Olive Oil After EU Bans its Mangoes, MEP Claims
Codex Alimentarius, an international trade commission, has been around since 1963 and has established a body of scientifically based standards for food safety and trade. Despite the different standards, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has agreed to clear the table olives, the Indian Food and Beverage report said. Progress is also being made on the Indian side toward aligning the two standards.
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