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Restoring Trust: 2011 Olive Growers Conference*

Growers, consumer and olive enthusiasts alike will gather Tuesday and Wednesday, 25th and 26th October, in Wangaratta to discuss the current issues facing the industry.

The theme for this year's conference is "Restoring Trust in the Trade of Olive Oil".

Australian Olive Association (AOA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Rowntree says, "Considering the amount of oil sold in Australia that is mislabelled, it seemed fitting that we discuss with producers and consumers the measures being undertaken to ensure that consumer confidence in Extra Virgin Olive Oil is restored."

The recent introduction of Australian Standards for Olive Oil and Olive Pomace Oil now means that terms like 'pure', 'light' and 'extra-light' are no longer permitted to be used on labels to describe olive oil as they have no relevant meaning.

Lisa says that it was disappointing that there is a history of much of the retail sector not doing the right thing by their customers, but this would be resolved by them implementing the Australian Standards as soon as possible.

"Other than ALDI Stores, which have always been very active with regard to quality, there seems to be indifference about consumers being misled and substandard products being falsely labelled," she adds.

This year's conference will have important contingents from Italy, Spain and the USA who will discuss quality issues in their countries and measures they've undertaken to help alleviate mislabelling and fraud. 

"At the conference, we will be talking about the Australian Code of Practice for Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and commencing work on a Code of Practice (COP) for the production of Australian Table Olives; additionally, our international colleagues will join with us in discussing the viability of a New World Alliance," Lisa says.

Organisers are pleased with the enthusiastic response from exhibitors to the Conference.

The AOA decided to move the conference to a regional location to reach growers who may not have attended a conference in the past. Local olive-producing groups like Olive Producers North East Victoria (OPNEV) are co-convening the conference and are confident that there will be a good turn out from their region

"We are now at 100% capacity with all sites booked and a full list can be found on our website (www.australianolives.com.au)," says Lisa.  Producers will also have the opportunity to take part in a free workshop that will help them sign up to the Code of Practice.

OPNEV President Michael Freudenstein says, "There are a lot of olive growers in and around this region who are looking forward to this event. We are very happy to be hosting this event and hope that visitors will also take some time to look around this beautiful area with so much to offer."

The industry will also come together on Tuesday 25th October to announce the winners of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Table Olives Competition. The Awards Presentation dinner will be held at the Quality Inn Gateway Hotel in Wangaratta. Local producers have worked with the chef there to create a beautiful olive and local produce-themed menu. 

Anyone is welcome to attend both the conference and dinner. More information can be found at www.australianolives.com.au.