Olive Oil Commission of California to Hold Informational Meeting January 13 in Sacramento

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2016
contact: Chris Zanobini
phone: (916) 441-1581

Olive Oil Commission of California to Hold Informational Meeting January 13 in Sacramento

Sacramento, CA — California olive oil producers, industry members and other interested parties are encouraged to attend a special informational meeting on the Olive Oil Commission of California’s testing program and other important topics involving California olive oil. The meeting will be held January 13 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the first floor conference room of the California Farm Bureau Federation offices in Sacramento.

“California’s new commission and its standards are getting a lot of attention, but what the OOCC does is not well-understood by many people,” said Jeff Colombini, Chairman of the organization created last year to ensure that California olive oils meet or exceed comprehensive international standards for purity and quality. “This meeting is designed specifically to inform industry members and other interested parties about how and why the OOCC was developed and to exhibit the great work this program is doing.”

The event will begin with an introduction by OOCC Chairman Colombini and Albert Katz, Chairman of the OOCC Advisory Committee and founding member of the California Olive Oil Council, on the evolution of the olive oil industry in California to set the stage for how the OOCC came to be.

Next, a panel of industry members and government auditors will review the OOCC’s mandatory sampling and testing program. The panel discussion will be led by Paul Miller, International Advisor to the Australian Olive Association and will cover what tests are being conducted through the program, what information the tests provid and how the information can be used to improve product knowledge from tree to tank. As part of this panel presentation, attendees will learn about the science behind these tests and will have an opportunity to ask questions.

The day’s agenda will also include a presentation on the analysis of fatty acid and sterol profiles from California olive oil samples gathered by the University of California Davis Olive Oil Center. Results of this important research project will be presented by Olive Oil Center Executive Director Dan Flynn and Research Director Selina Wang.

Research presentations will also be provided on olive knot research being conducted with OOCC support by Dr. Jim Adaskaveg of the Plant Pathology and Microbiology Department at the University of California Riverside and on olive leaf scorch (a disease caused by Xylella fastidiosa ) by Rodrigo Krugner, Research Entomologist for the USDA’s Ag Research Service.

A reception will follow the program. A copy of the full agenda can be found here on the OOCC website at www.OliveOilCommission.org

“We very much want members of the olive oil industry – whether they fall under the OOCC’s jurisdiction or not – to fully understand what the OOCC is doing and why,” continued Colombini, “we are hoping for a good turnout.”

 

To register for the event, please call the Olive Oil Commission of California at (916) 441-1581 or send an email to info@OliveOilCommission.org with your name, company and email address. [NOTE: members of the media are encouraged to register.]

 

About the OOCC: The Olive Oil Commission of California is a government entity of the State of California and operates with general oversight from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The OOCC was established and is funded by California olive oil farmers to: conduct research that assists farmers in growing a healthy, sustainable crop; develop and enforce standards for purity and quality of California olive oil;
verify California olive oil quality through mandatory government sampling and third-party analysis; and promote clear, accurate labels for California olive oil.