Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Julia Klöckner last week announced plans to introduce the contentious Nutri-score food labeling system to Germany. This color-coded food labelling system, which rates foods from “A” for healthier choices to “E” for unhealthier choices, has been criticized because - among other reasons — it gives healthy oils, such as olive oil, a lower rating due to their high-fat content.
Sound vaguely familiar …?
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Alto Olives proprietor Robert Armstrong says Australian olive oils have unquestionably come of age. Photo supplied.
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Extra virgin olive oil from the Upper Lachlan, rhubarb and strawberry tarts from Bowral, and Sydney Rock Oysters from Tathra are three of the fine foods awarded at the 2019 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show Taste of Excellence Awards.
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Come and say Hi at the National Olive Conference
Friday Olive Extracts and
Olivegrower & Processor Editor Gerri Nelligan is heading to Albury next week to take part in the 2019 National Olive Conference & Exhibition. She knows a lot of you but would love to be able to put more faces to names, meet newcomers to the industry and find out what you’d like to read about, so please look her up and introduce yourself. You’ll find her either at the
AOA/Olivegrower booth in the Exhibition space or running around with a camera and notepad, so she shouldn’t be hard to find!
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Drier than average likely, but may start to ease in summer
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The Bureau of Meteorology’s quarterly forecast for October to December has rainfall for the remainder of 2019 likely to be below average across much of Australia, with high chances of a drier October and November in particular.
For those with water available, it’s a timely reminder to ensure your irrigation system is in good working order ready for the crucial flowering/fruit set period. Find out more about the forecast for your area
here.
And the latest government message around the lack of water …
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Earlier this week, Federal Water Resources Minister David Littleproud joined Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and drought envoy Barnaby Joyce on a tour through drought-stricken communities in New South Wales and Queensland. Speaking on Insiders, Minister Littleproud said the Government accepts climate change is a major factor in worsening drought conditions.
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Time is running out: have you had your say on the unfair Health Star Rating System?
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Cooking oils need to be removed from the Health Star Rating System and time is running out to have your say - the final review decision will be made in November.
The survey linked below clearly states why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is healthier than refined oils like canola oil and sunflower oil, even though these oils rank healthier than Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the current system.
Help fix the problem by signing the petition and leaving a comment that edible oils should be removed from the Health Star Rating System, and why.
Let’s make this happen – have your say now!
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A man who worked outside while wearing a high-visibility top with a reflective stripe suffered first degree burns when the reflective tape overheated. (Supplied: Medical Journal of Australia)
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A Perth doctor is warning of the dangers of wearing high-vis shirts in direct sunlight after what she believes is the world's first case of burns from retro-reflective tape.
Those of you who wear high-vis – or whose staff do – take heed!
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Got olive equipment you no longer use? Why not offer it for sale
directly to your target market – OLIVE GROWERS AND PRODUCERS
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Your production level has changed and you’ve outgrown that small processor but there’s undoubtedly another producer out there for whom it would be an ideal size. Why not get together and do a deal through Olivebiz Classifieds – THE intra-industry way to sell, buy and source.
Our online Classifieds service is an easy and inexpensive solution to advertise your unwanted equipment, extra oil or even your grove. And if there’s something you need, it’s the ideal way to get the message out loud and clear directly to your peers and industry.
Olivebiz Classifieds cost just $40 for AOA members ($100 for non-members), including a text ad and link through to either your web page or images hosted on our site. And you don’t need to be a tech-head: just send us your info and we’ll post it up for you.
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The main control measures during early spring include monitoring traps to identify when adult flies are first active, and control measures such as protein bait sprays and traps.
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Spring, as the first fruits start to form, is the time to make sure your fruit fly management practices are up to date to protect your produce and nearby properties. While they are found in different parts of the country, similar control methods and strategies can be used to control the two main pest species of fruit fly in Australia: the Queensland fruit fly and the Mediterranean fruit fly.
While not one of the major pests for our industry, fruit fly are known to cause damage to olive crops and could infest your own and neighbours’ fruit crops. Be vigilent and act!
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The AgriFutures SA Rural Women’s Award is now open to all women involved in rural industries, rural and regional businesses and rural and regional communities.
If you want to create impact, innovate and make a difference and/or contribute to enhancing the prosperity of rural industries, rural and regional Australia, then consider applying. The award allows you to bring to life a project or initiative that will benefit rural or regional Australia with a $10,000 bursary from Westpac. More information
here.
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New Austrade guides on food and beverage in Hong Kong and Macau
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Hong Kong is a large, high value, expanding market for Australian food and beverage products, and is also a significant trading hub for re-exports into Mainland China. To assist Australian businesses in accessing that market, Austrade has prepared an updated document providing an overview of the major food retail stores in Hong Kong and neighbouring Macau, some of which also have a presence in
Mainland China.
Download the guide
Understanding the food and beverage retailers in Hong Kong and Macau
here.
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Book now for
TasteBook™/OliveCare®
Hunter Valley sensory workshop
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Registrations are now open for the October
TasteBook™/OliveCare® sensory training workshop, being held in the Hunter Valley, NSW. Please note that the SA workshop has been postponed to March 2020.
The workshops offer the opportunity to learn from industry experts and sensory scientists. Feedback to date has been outstandingly positive, with attendees gaining invaluable insight into the evaluation process, varietal nuances and EVOO quality parameters. Don’t miss the opportunity to:
- learn what makes award winning EVOO and table olives stand out from the rest
- understand what judges look for in industry competitions
- develop your taste palate
- network with peers.
The program includes sensory training, olive oil chemistry, freshness testing of EVOO and determining objective best before dates (BBDs) and more, providing an interactive learning experience which will benefit olive growers and processors, olive oil judges and anyone wishing to gain a better appreciation for EVOO and table olives.
Details are:
27 October - Adina Vineyard, 492 Lovedale Road Lovedale, Hunter Valley, NSW.
The cost is just $40 for levy payers, $50 non-levy payers, including catering and comprehensive course notes.
More information and register
here.
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Italy’s new agriculture minister met with Puglian officials and olive oil industry professionals to discuss recently allocated emergency funds and stopping the spread of Xylella fastidiosa, at a meeting in Rome.
While in the UK …
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As a preventative measure against Xylella fastidiosa, scientists in the United Kingdom called on volunteers earlier this year to record sightings of spittlebugs and their residue. The researchers are using this data to chart their distribution across the UK.
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12-Sep-2019 By Nikki Hancocks
A former vegetarian chef with a passion for purity is staying true to his roots with his organic plant-based supplements which he hopes will bring nutritional hormesis to the fore of the wellbeing market.
Polyphenols predicted to ‘come out on top’ in the move to natural and preventative remedies – great stuff!
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Friday Olive Extracts – send us YOUR news
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With 2019 now well underway
,
Friday Olive Extracts
(FOE) continues to bring all the latest industry news and events to your Inbox every week. THE place to share olive industry news, event details and reminders, our industry e-newsletter keeps growing in popularity and we now have nearly 4000 subscribers across the globe. If you’re not one of them,
you can sign up here.
And please remember that FOE is YOUR e-newsletter, so we’re keen to receive your news and help spread the word. Just email your information to Editor Gerri Nelligan at
editor@olivegrower.com.au - it’s free, and the best way to reach your fellow industry members!
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Tom Mueller, author of the New York Times bestseller Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, is back with a new investigative book delving into the world of whistleblowers: Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud.
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04-Oct-2019 By Oliver Morrison
Does less money spent on the pursuit of hedonism mean Millennials and GenZs are more prepared to buy organic?
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“France is not necessarily known as an olive oil-producing country, so we have a big job ahead and that’s the work we do at France Olive. We communicate about this diversity of flavors and particularities of the French production,” said Laurent Bélorgey, president of France Olive, the inter-professional association of the olive sector in France.
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27-Aug-2019 By Flora Southey
Researchers have developed a comprehensive index that measures the degree of naturalness in foods. The integrative tool could “significantly improve transparency, simplicity, and trust in the food marketplace,” Hero Group’s Luis Manuel Sánchez-Siles tells FoodNavigator.
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The OOCC's research projects for the new fiscal year will give the state's producers insight into the control of olive knot and olive anthracnose.
And gets tough on labelling …
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The Olive Oil Commission of California announced new rules that will apply to large producers, including adding best by dates to all olive oil labels and tightening the rules regarding how olive oil provenance is labeled.
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03-Oct-2019 By Rick Pendrous
Food and drink manufacturers are not only faced with the challenge of removing the threat of dangerous pathogens, they also have to fight new rules restricting the armoury of weapons at their disposal
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Along with some Spanish olive oils, certain types of table olives from both France and Spain will also face a 25% tariff on US imports. Olive oils from Italy, Portugal and Greece will be unaffected.
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2019
12 October
ONZ EVOO Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ
12 October
Awards dinner- West Australian Olive Awards 2019 - WA
18 October
Presentation dinner, Australian International Olive Awards – Albury, NSW
16-19 October
2019 National Olive Industry Conference & Trade Exhibition – Albury, NSW
27 October
TasteBook™/OliveCare® workshop – Lovedale, NSW
2 November
TasteBook™/OliveCare® workshop – Tasmania
12-14 November
Food & Hotel China 2019 – Shanghai, China
14 November
Awards presentation, 2019 Hunter Valley Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW
15 November
TasteBook™/OliveCare® workshop – Toowoomba, Qld
21-22 November
Savantes Melbourne, Australia
22 November
Hort Innovation AGM – Sydney
26-28 November
SITEVI – Montpellier, France
2020
January 20-24
Olive Oil Sommelier Certification Program – London, UK
7-8 February
Sensory Masterclass – Geelong, Vic
9-12 February
World Congress on Oils & Fats – Sydney, Australia
23-25 April
2020 London International Olive oil Competitions – London, UK
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Friday Olive Extracts is Published by:
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Olivegrower Communications:
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Olivegrower & Processor
September Issue
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Australian and New Zealand
Olive Industry Directory
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