A California law firm has filed class-action
lawsuits over misleading consumers over extra virgin olive oil.
The lawsuits allege companies Salov
North America Corp., maker of Filippo Berio olive oil, and Deoleo USA, which
makes Bertolli and Carapelli, are mislabelling and misleading
consumers.
All three brands are also sold in
Canada and compete with Canadian-grown canola and soybeans.
A request from the companies to dismiss
the lawsuits was turned down earlier this year.
In the case of Filippo Berio olive oil,
the bottle has a label saying "imported from Italy" but a small print
text says olives are grown in Spain, Greece and Tunisia as well as Italy.
The suit also alleged Salov's extra
virgin olive oil failed to meet state or federal standards for the term
"extra virgin," claiming the company mixed the products with refined
oil and packaged them in clear bottles which means the oil can be damaged by
sunlight.
Similarly, a separate class action
against Deoleo alleges the oils can't be "extra virgin" since a
refined oil is added to the mix.
The Bertolli and Carapelli olive oils
also are labelled "imported from Italy" when the product also
includes oil from olives from several different countries.
The suits claim damages on behalf of all
U.S. users of the products.
The class action lawsuits are being led
by Gutride Safier
LLP, a California law firm that specializes in class actions.
There have been frequent news media
reports of cheating in Canada, but so far no class-action lawsuits.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is
in charge of enforcement of labeling regulations.
