EU to ban olive oil jugs from restaurants

[DanielMMS]

Misleading title much?

You can still have your olive oil, it just needs to be labelled.

It needs to be in a proper, tamper-proof bottle meaning that it should be real olive oil, rather than cheap fake stuff, in a clean receptacle, removing potential hygiene issues of jugs being re-filled without being cleaned. Of course, this could really open up the market for producers of counterfeit olive oil. Just because the stuff is in a convincing bottle doesn't mean it is actually the real thing.

 

[HaloUK]

WTF!!!!! EU yet again with their stupid laws.

 

[HaloUK]

Can't wait another 5 months to get out of the country and away from the EU.

Stupidity...

Wonder if this country will have enough balls to leave the EU and make this county great again.

 

[Burnsy2023]

I don't understand the outrage, it seems reasonable to make it so people consuming a product know exactly what they are consuming.

While in the UK we are mostly culinary dense on the subject of olive oil, much of Europe takes it more seriously.

OK, it's not a pressing issue - but is this part of a wider project to ensure "person A" knows what they are eating? (as that 'seems' pretty reasonable).

It seems unnecessarily bureaucratic though, and I'm very much pro EU.

 

[elmarko]

It seems unnecessarily bureaucratic though, and I'm very much pro EU.

I agree it's not a very important, but it depends on how it's worded if it's as silly as the average person thinks.

If it's a ban on jugs, or a law enforcing open food labelling changes very much how the public will respond to it.

I don't think it's excessive letting people know what they are consuming (as that seems to the intention).

Wonder if this country will have enough balls to leave the EU and make this county great again.

Not that I'm really pro or anti EU myself, but how exactly will leaving the EU "make this country great again".

Can you quantify that assertion at all with anything?, or is the EU the new boogie-man we can blame for all our failings as a nation?

 

[i-bert]

All the big corporations are in bed with the EU politicians. It has nothing to do with the safety of the public, only money.

 

[Belmit]

Olive Oil jugs banned from restaurants? Popeye will be livid.

 

[Yamahahahahaha]

The European Commissions justification for the ban, under special Common Agriculture Policy regulations, is "hygiene" and to protect the "image of olive oil" with a measure that will benefit struggling industrial producers in Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal.

It depends what hygiene concerns there are around serving olive oil to the table. The "image of olive oil" is nonsense.

Officials defended the ban as a protection for consumers who would know that they were getting a safe, guaranteed product with proper labelling of its origin and with tamper-proof, hygienic dispensers.

Again, it doesn't really matter. You don't know where the salt and pepper on your table come from, nor do you necessarily know where your ketchup and mayonnaise come from in a cafe.

"This is to guarantee the quality and authenticity of the olive oil put at the disposal of consumers. The aim is to better inform and protect consumer. We also expect hygiene to be improved too," said an official.

Is there any evidence that quality and authenticity of olive oil is a widespread concern?

On the bright side, even other EU officials think it's a stupid idea:

"This is sort of thing that gets the EU a deservedly bad name. I shouldn't say so but I hope people disobey this ban," said an official.

"It will seem bonkers that olive oil jugs must go while vinegar bottles or refillable wine jugs can stay."

And finally, the perpetually incompetent Defra chime in:

A Defra spokesperson said: “While we welcome some of the new rules on improved labelling, we did not support this ban as it will likely lead to unnecessary waste and place added burdens on businesses.

“We will continue to work with the catering industry to help them adapt to these changes.”

Overall, nobody is impressed by this. I wouldn't expect it to come into force.

 

[Cosimo]

Olive Oil jugs banned from restaurants? Popeye will be livid.

They'll still be serving spinach.

 

[Basher]

As a chef of 24 years. I find this such a stupid idea. Really!, these morons need to find something a little bit more important to address instead of Olive Oil Jugs.

Give me strength.

The world is not a good place these days.

Care to elaborate why?

From the perspective of the consumer, I see no real difference.

 

[Jono8]

I don't understand the outrage, it seems reasonable to make it so people consuming a product know exactly what they are consuming.

While in the UK we are mostly culinary dense on the subject of olive oil, much of Europe takes it more seriously.

OK, it's not a pressing issue - but is this part of a wider project to ensure "person A" knows what they are eating? (as that 'seems' pretty reasonable).

So we should have labels on every single thing brought to us on a restaurants menu?

 

[elmarko]

So we should have labels on every single thing brought to us on a restaurants menu?

On things very highly calorific & considered a speciality across pretty much the whole of the EU (except us) then I'd say yes.

 

[Rexxar]

This screams of having approved distributors... it's like we're moving towards one supplier of everything, didn't someone try that and fail...now the EU are trying again =\

 

[theleg]

no idea about fake olive oil and the like but ive seen with my own eyes, a restaurant worker take the oil that had just had someone dipping their bread in and pour it back into a half full bottle....put me off thinking about double dippers and how much of their saliva may or may not be in that bottle.

so for that reason i think this is a good idea

in general terms tho, i dont really see a problem with it.

 

[CREATIVE!11]

wow gay?

I'm getting fed up with this society....

 

[Kazz]

*rabble rabble rabble * bloody EU! *rabble rabble rabble *

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

Olive Oil jugs banned from restaurants? Popeye will be livid.

 

[Monkeynut]

This screams of having approved distributors... it's like we're moving towards one supplier of everything, didn't someone try that and fail...now the EU are trying again =\

I was under the impression the EU are very keen on competition, hence the liberalisation of telecoms etc throughout member states.

 

[EyepodI]

They better pre-package all the food in restaurants, only from EU approved back-hander vendors whilst they're at it. Unscrupulous restaurants could be serving up fake chickens and burgers...wait a minute...

 

[Sharlaw]

Isn't this just to avoid places having expensive bottles of Olive Oil, that have actually been re-filled with cheap stuff?

If you're paying for olive oil you'd expect a quality product not something cheap in an expensive bottle.