International Olive Council
This includes fixing the number of participation shares in the IOC budget and setting a time limit for the country to file its instrument of accession with the depository of the Agreement.
Three categories of observer are allowed to attend all or part of IOC sessions, provided they have the prior consent of the Council of Members.
Contributions are calculated each year according to the number of participation shares awarded to each Member in the IOC budget.
The chairperson plays a vital part in the life of the Organisation and carries out many duties, most importantly presiding over meetings and sessions and representing the IOC legally.
Some very important aspects of the IOC work is to promote consumer confidence, stimulate international trade and to prevent fraud.
The IOC specifies acceptable quality control testing methods as well as specifying other consumer transparency information, for example: hygiene standards along the supply chain, suitable packing materials and filling tolerances product labelling standards, identification of any food additives or allowable contaminants, recommendations for environmental protection in the use and disposal of olive products etc.
A twin aim is to increase consumer awareness and visibility of the wide range of sensory attributes of the superior extra virgin olive oils found on the marketplace.
Entries are classified in different categories according to their fruitiness and evaluated by IOC-recognised panels which use a 100-point profile sheet to rate their smell, taste, retronasal sensations, harmony, complexity and persistence.
The highest scorers are then assessed by an international panel of judges who pick the first, second and third prize winners in each section of the competition.
They are also allowed to mention their Award on bottles of extra virgin olive oil belonging to the same batch as the prize winner.
In 2002, the European Commission raised issues with Fausto Luchetti, an Italian who held the position of Executive Director of the IOC between 1987 and 2002, in relation to allegations of irregularities in the management of the organization's funds.
In 2018 and 2019, the efforts of the Spanish industry to attack and belittle the organoleptic method (so-called "panel test") raised Italy's attention.
In a meeting hold at the IOC in May 2019, Italy's protests avoided a change that would have diminished the legal value of the organoleptic assessment for public control in the import/export.
[10] In 2016, public protests against the election of a Spanish deputy director were raised by Italy, as it was in contrast with the political agreement made to balance the direction of the agricultural sector within the European Union.
[14] An international case was raised by Israel - an IOC member - who claimed that his representative was not allowed to enter in the room for the discussion and therefore they did not recognize the election of the directors.
This move also upset Italian officials and sparked controversy among operators in the sector, worried that the plan of the newly elected directors was to avoid improvement of the olive oil quality but only fostering their efforts for Spain and Tunisia[15][16][17]
