Oil:" Ercole Olivario"- award for top quality extra-virgin olive oils

This award is inspired to the Roman temple of Ercole Olivaro, built thanks to the corporation of the olive oil producers; this concourse offers a competition among the extra virgin olive oils from all the Italian Regions; the 16th edition was celebrated in Spoleto, Trevi, Perugia. There were 260 candidates for this competition , coming from sixteen regions, sixteen were also the members of the jury who chose the winners in the categories 'light fruity', 'medium fruity' and 'intense fruity', among the oils with designation of protected origin and the conventional extra-virgin olive oils. A special award was assigned to the best bio-oil. The award was organized by Unioncamere and the national unions of olive-producers. The 2008 edition was celebrated just some time after the decree on the compulsory indication of the origin of the olives on the label had became effective; the EU sent a letter of default action to the Italian Government. The consumers have the right to be informed- the producers affirm- that is why this decree represents a serious need. The Secretary for agriculture, present at the meeting, said that a reply to the EU letter is being prepared: "the EU letter is not a default action- he explained- but an information request, we do not want Italy to have a leadership, we are asking for transparency, a principle certainly agreed by the European Union".