Shoppers have been warned to beware of counterfeit olive oil – as criminal gangs exploit a disastrous Italian harvest by selling potentially dangerous bootleg bottles.
Consumers should be particularly wary of olive oil that appears “too cheap to be true”, experts said. Fake oil produced in unhygienic conditions could put Britons at increased risk of E.coli and salmonella.
The incentive for fraud has increased because the woeful olive harvest has left a shortage of the fruit required to make genuine oil – while the resulting rising price has increased the profits that can be made from selling fake bottles.
The best way for consumers and restaurant buyers to determine whether olive oil is counterfeit is to look at the price.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/food-fans-are-told-to-prepare-for-a-flood-of-dangerous-counterfeit-olive-oil-10124249.html