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Campden BRI gets olive oil fraud contract

Campden BRI has been awarded what it describes as a significant contract by the Rural Payments Agency, an Executive Agency of DEFRA, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to provide analytical testing services. The two year contract, with the possibility of extension, is to analyse olive oil and a range of other […]

Campden BRI has been awarded what it describes as a significant contract by the Rural Payments Agency, an Executive Agency of DEFRA, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to provide analytical testing services.

The two year contract, with the possibility of extension, is to analyse olive oil and a range of other products including sugar, hops, grass, beef, cereals and counter-analyses for milk products. This is the twentieth consecutive year Campden BRI has held a contract with RPA or its predecessor.

A significant part of the contract is the testing of olive oil to determine whether the grade (e.g. extra virgin) is correctly declared on the label. This is especially important this year, Campden BRI notes, as a combination of climatic effects, olive fly infestation, and a bacterial infection (Xylella fastidiosa) has resulted in a disastrous Italian olive crop.

Combined with a poor crop in Spain, this has significantly reduced the 2014 olive oil harvest, driving up prices, thereby enhancing the incentive for fraud.

The International Olive Council (IOC) says production will hit its lowest level in 15 years and admits there will be an upswing in prices; its latest figures show the price from the producers had risen by 121% in the last month of 2014 compared with December 2013, with supply down by almost a third.

“Food authenticity continues to be a high profile issue and we are delighted to be chosen again by the RPA to help industry and government meet the challenge of beating food fraud,” said Dr Julian South, Head of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Campden BRI. “This contract reflects our position as a trusted and respected centre providing technical excellence to the food and drink industry”.