The by law provided designation pyramid has in practice an unnatural amount of distribution: The categories of olive oil, which in fact produced the largest quantities are lampante and simple Virgin. From real Extra Virgin is just enough in place to put on a thin top of the quality pyramid.

Due to the lack of controls Extra Virgin is practically the only one present in the oil trade - in Germany, over ninety percent of the olive oil market - while comparatively less simple olive oil and few significant quantities Virgin are on the market. Surely it is the responsibility of the food industry and wholesale distribution to bring even mediocre oil among the people. It would be certainly wrong them to spoil the lucrative business of second-class goods. Scandalous is not that bad oils are there. Scandalous is that these are declared as top quality goods!

As long as the consumer deception is made bottlers so easily, they will give preference - somehow understandable – to label their product to their advantage incorrectly, rather than voluntarily to downgrade to Virgin or rectifying and place it as a simple olive oil on the market. The accusation of guilt on systematic label vertigo attaches not only those who take a profit from it, but also those whose job it is to protect us from false declaration.

Source Merum