Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is required to have no more than 0.8% free acidity, and is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.

From its beginnings early in the 7th century BC, the cosmetic use of olive oil quickly spread to all of the Hellenic city-states, together with athletes training in the nude, and lasted close to a thousand years despite its great expense.

[11] The cultivation of olive trees in Crete became particularly intense in the post-palatial period and played an important role in the island's economy, as it did across the Mediterranean.

[12] Later, as Greek colonies were established in other parts of the Mediterranean, olive farming was introduced to places like Spain and continued to spread throughout the Roman Empire.

[9] Olive trees were introduced to the Americas in the 16th century, when cultivation began in areas with a climate similar to the Mediterranean, such as Chile, Argentina, and California.

[9] Recent genetic studies suggest that species used by modern cultivators descend from multiple wild populations, but detailed history of domestication is unknown.

[15] Olive trees and oil production in the Eastern Mediterranean can be traced to archives of the ancient city-state Ebla (2600–2240 BC), which were located on the outskirts of Aleppo.

[9] The importance of olive oil as a commercial commodity increased after the Roman conquest of Egypt, Greece and Asia Minor led to more trade along the Mediterranean.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses virgin olive oil that has been blessed by the priesthood for anointing the sick.

[27] In Jewish observance, olive oil was the only fuel allowed to be used in the seven-branched menorah in the Mishkan service during the Exodus of the Tribes of Israel from Egypt, and later in the permanent Temple in Jerusalem.

[35] The Ranieri Filo della Torre is an international literary prize for writings about extra virgin olive oil.

[39] Inferior oil is produced from unripe olives that are stored for extended periods of time until they grow soft or begin to shrivel to become more fit for grinding.

[40] In countries of the levant, a sharp-tasting green oil was sometimes extracted from unripe olives, known in medieval times as anpeqinon[verification needed] (Ancient Greek: ὀμφάκιον, ὀμφάχινον; Arabic: زيت الأنفاق), being a corruption of the Latin words oleum omphacium and used in cuisine and in medicine.

[43] The remaining semi-solid waste, called pomace, retains a small quantity (about 5–10%) of oil that cannot be extracted by further pressing, but only with chemical solvents.

[46] Handling of olive waste is an environmental challenge because the wastewater, which amounts to millions of tons (billions of liters) annually in the European Union, has low biodegradability, is toxic to plants, and cannot be processed through conventional water treatment systems.

[54] The United States is not a member of the IOC and is not subject to its authority, but on October 25, 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopted new voluntary olive oil grading standards that closely parallel those of the IOC, with some adjustments for the characteristics of olives grown in the U.S.[55] U.S. Customs regulations on "country of origin" state that if a non-origin nation is shown on the label, then the real origin must be shown on the same side of the label in letters of comparable size, so as not to mislead the consumer.

[56][57] Yet most major U.S. brands continue to put "imported from Italy" on the front label in large letters and other origins on the back in very small print.

[72][73] Oleologist Nicholas Coleman suggests that the California Olive Oil Council certification is the most stringent of the voluntary grading schemes in the United States.

[84] Extra virgin olive oil has strict requirements and is checked for "sensory defects" that include: rancid, fusty, musty, winey (vinegary) and muddy sediment.

Police said the oils were blended in an industrial biodiesel plant and adulterated in a way to hide markers that would have revealed their true nature.

Nineteen people were arrested following the year-long joint probe by the police and Spanish tax authorities, as part of Operation Lucerna.

On 3 January 2016 Bill Whitaker presented a program on CBS News including interviews with Mueller and with Italian authorities.

[91][92] It was reported that in the previous month 5,000 tons of adulterated olive oil had been sold in Italy, and that organised crime was heavily involved—the term "Agrimafia" was used.

The point was made by Mueller that the profit margin on adulterated olive oil was three times that on the illegal narcotic drug cocaine.

[96] The most common forms of olive oil fraud included: These fraudulent practices not only deceive consumers but also undermine the reputation of legitimate producers, particularly those from traditional olive-growing regions in the Mediterranean.

[97] To combat the rising fraud cases, the European Union has implemented several measures: The EU has also launched a public awareness campaign to educate consumers about olive oil quality and how to identify authentic products.

[98] The surge in fraud cases has led to: Industry experts stress the importance of supporting reputable producers and urge consumers to be more vigilant when purchasing olive oil, particularly when prices seem unusually low for claimed quality.

[141] In the United States, the FDA allows producers of olive oil to place the following qualified health claim on product labels:[142][143] Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tbsp.

To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the overall number of calories consumed in a day.In a review by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2011, health claims on olive oil were approved for protection by its polyphenols against oxidation of blood lipids,[144] and for maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol levels by replacing saturated fats in the diet with oleic acid.

[147] A 2014 meta-analysis concluded that increased consumption of olive oil was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events and stroke, while monounsaturated fatty acids of mixed animal and plant origin showed no significant effects.