Is it only a question of price?

As regards the oil, is it only a question of price? Because of the record-price decrease of the olive oil paid to Italian oil producers the need for clearness is evident, i.g. the new regulation to indicate on the label the origin of the olives used for the oil put into the market. The aim is to prevent that the oil obtained from Tunysian or Spanish olive-pressure, is passed off as Italian, as it has recently happened on national and foreing markets. The Unasco is strongly worried about this decrease in price of the extra virgin, which had a further drop (12%) in December 2004, as the data of the Ismea report.
Moreover in the last ten years, the price paid to the agricolturists of the oil per kilo had a 33% decrease.But the olive oil still stands out as key-protagonist of the Italian oil scenery. As already said, the olive oil production amounts to € 2037 m.,about 4,6% of the total Italian agricolture. We reckon that timely measures are fundamental to prevent a false Italian olive oil to be introduced on the international markets, even if bottled inside the country, but obtained from foreign olives, unknown to the consumers; this process could damage the incomes of the Italian enterprises.Which is the solution, then? Producers pointed out one a lot of time ago: as soos as possible Italy must introduce the 204/2004 law, it provides the obligation to indicate all agricoltural basic products used,thus concretely preventing false oil obtained from Tunisian and Spanish olives,to be passed off as “made in Italy” oil.This law represents the first means to defend the 35 extra virgin olive oils already recognized by the E.U.. Some aid could come from Bruxelles.
But we have not many hopes. The E.U. commitee longs to a unique regulation about labelling and packagaing of the products, able to substitute the two already existing, together with other 25 of the same number of member-states. Bruxelles launched a public referendum among producers and consumers to reach this aim. The result of this referendum will turn out into a discussion among the members of E.U. to work out a series of proposals , maybe, or a regulation within the end of 2006. As for the E.U. this initiative will improve consumers’ protection making life easier for producers. Indeed, only through the regulation array to international standards, European products can be commercialized all over the world without changing the label. Finally Italy is convinced that the referendum-period will probably be useful to establish, if for examble the consumers prefer are more interested in the quantity of sweetners contained in a product than in the quantity of the product, or if water is included or not in the list of the ingredients of chilled meals.