International Olive Council

International Olive Council headquarters in Madrid, Spain.

The International Olive Council (IOC) (formerly the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC)) is an intergovernmental organisation of states that produce olives or products derived from olives, such as olive oil.

History

The IOOC had its genesis in the International Agreement on Olive Oil, which was concluded in Geneva on 17 October 1955. After this treaty was amended and the amended version came into force, the IOOC was established under this treaty in 1959, with headquarters in Madrid. This first agreement remained in force until 1963, when a second agreement was negotiated. The organisation was governed by the following agreements during the time spans indicated:

A new Agreement was negotiated and concluded In October 2015 and will be open for signature throughout 2016. In 2006, the International Olive Oil Council changed its name to the International Olive Council in recognition of the fact that the Council is also involved in the field of table olives (the name of its governing Agreement had recognised this since 1986).

Member states

The IOC currently has 17 state members plus the European Union. These states account for over 98 per cent of the world's olive production. The following states of the IOC are below (the year of the state's first ratification of one of the Agreements is included; an asterisk indicates that the state was a founding member of the IOOC):

Membership requirements

Because the IOC is an international, intergovernmental organisation, membership is only open to the Governments of States or to international organisations with responsibilities in the negotiation, conclusion and application of international agreements, especially commodity agreements. If a country is interested in joining, its government submits an application to the Council of Members, usually through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs or another ministry, or through its Embassy in Spain. The Council of Members examines the application and determines the conditions of accession of the applicant country. This includes fixing the number of participation shares in the IOC budget and setting a time limit for the country to file its instrument of accession with the depository of the Agreement. As soon as the applicant deposits its instrument it becomes a Member. Private companies or individuals cannot join the IOC.

Observers

Three categories of observer are allowed to attend all or part of IOC sessions, provided they have the prior consent of the Council of Members.

• International organisations and institutions. This includes the United Nations and its organs, in particular the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the Joint FAO/WHO Programme of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and other specialised UN agencies.
• Intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental organisations that could provide funding for IOC activities.
• The government of any member or observer State of the United Nations or of one of the organisations mentioned in the first bullet that envisages joining the Agreement.

Headquarters

The IOC has been headquartered in Madrid since it was founded in 1959. The rights, immunities and privileges of the IOC headquarters, staff and representatives are stipulated in a Headquarters Agreement signed with the Kingdom of Spain, which is the host country of the Organisation.

Official languages

The IOC has five official languages (Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish) and two working languages (English and French).

Funding

The IOC is funded through compulsory contributions paid by its Member States. Contributions are calculated each year according to the number of participation shares awarded to each Member in the IOC budget.

Structure

The structure of the IOC is quite simple. It revolves around the key figures of the Council of Members and its committees, the IOC chair and the Executive Secretariat.

Council of Members

The Council of Members is the principal decision-making body of the IOC. It is made up of one delegate per Member, who is assisted by alternates and advisers. It meets at least once a year to review IOC work and to approve the action programme and budget for the next year. The Council of Members takes decisions by consensus. If consensus is not reached, decision making is done by a qualified majority.

Committees

The committees discuss and lay the groundwork for proposals and three-year action plans which are then submitted to the Council of Members. The IOC has five committees:

• Economic Committee: This committee discusses and approves the statistics compiled by the Executive Secretariat on production, consumption, imports, exports and stocks of olive oils and table olives. It keeps track of market developments and national policymaking in the olive sector and makes proposals to achieve balanced supply and demand.
• Technical Committee: The brief of this committee is to review and discuss the programmes and activities proposed by the Executive Secretariat in the areas of olive oil chemistry and standardisation, research and development, technology transfer, training and customised technical assistance for the member countries.
• Promotion Committee: Ongoing and future promotional activities and campaigns to promote olive oil and table olive consumption are examined by this committee, which marks out the direction of IOC promotional policy.
• Financial Committee: This committee sees to the financial control of the IOC. It examines the IOC financial statements and yearly audit and analyses the draft budgets proposed by the Executive Secretariat. It is also responsible for developing and updating all IOC financial procedures.
• Advisory Committee on Olive Oil and Table Olives: This committee is a fundamental talking partner for the Council of Members. Its representatives are drawn from all the branches of the olive sector in the member countries: producers, processors, marketers and consumers. It was established to voice the opinions of business circles and to help the Executive Secretariat to find effective solutions to any issues.

IOC Chair

The Council of Members elects a chairperson who serves a one-year term of office, which is rotated among the IOC Members. The chairperson plays a vital part in the life of the Organisation and carries out many duties, most importantly presiding over meetings and sessions and representing the IOC legally. A vice-chair is also elected each year and succeeds to the chair the following year.

Executive Secretariat

The IOC is served by a Secretariat headed by an Executive Director, who is assisted by senior officials and other staff. The Executive Secretariat is the operative arm of the IOC, implementing its decisions and strategy and serving the needs of its Members. It is made up of six Units: Economic Survey Unit, Technical Unit, Chemistry & Standardisation Unit, Promotion Unit, Administrative Unit and Financial Unit.

• Economic Survey Unit: compiles and releases economic data and world statistics on olive oils and table olives, coordinates Economic and Advisory Committee meetings and working groups and conducts international surveys and economic research.
• Technical Unit: encourages research and development and promotes the dissemination of technology and training to modernise olive growing and the olive products industry, improve product quality, protect the environment and reduce costs; carries out R&D projects; organises courses and seminars; publishes practical guides and manuals; holds training initiatives and runs a grant-funding scheme for extension and technical assistance activities.
• Chemistry & Standardisation Unit: develops and harmonises standards and methods of physico–chemical and sensory analysis for olive oils and table olives in addition to industry management guides; collaborates with the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other standards-related bodies; oversees an annual proficiency programme for chemical and sensory testing laboratories wishing to obtain IOC recognition; organises the annual IOC Mario Solinas Quality Award^[2] aimed at showcasing excellence in extra virgin olive oils and coordinates an olive oil quality control programme in import markets.^[3]
• Promotion Unit: coordinates promotional campaigns, runs a grant-funding programme for promotional activities, prepares information material, participates in promotional events and produces OLIVAE, the official scientific journal of the IOC.
• Administrative Unit: attends to administrative, logistic and staff affairs.
• Financial Unit: responsible for budgetary and financial aspects.

IOC Trade Standards

One very important aspect of the remit of the IOC is to draw up and update methods of analysis and standards for olive products with a view to promoting international trade and preventing fraud. To do so, it works very closely with leading chemists from its member countries who contribute their knowledge and expertise. It also cooperates with other international organisations such as the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) or the Codex Alimentarius Commission in order to bring their testing methods and standards into line with IOC texts. The IOC has two trade standards, one for olive oils and olive pomace oils and the other for table olives. The olive oil standard fixes the names and definitions of the different categories of olive oils and olive pomace oils as well the quality and purity criteria for each grade of product; it specifies testing methods and covers other aspects, such as food additives, contaminants, hygiene, packing, pack fill tolerances and labelling. IOC Members are committed to prohibiting the use of any product names other than those specified in the standard. The table olive standard fixes the names, definitions and requirements for all the different types, styles and trade preparations of table olives.

Classification of olive oils and olive pomace oils

The different categories of olive oils and olive pomace oils are named and defined in the International Agreement and the IOC trade standard.^[4]

Olive oil is the oil obtained solely from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.), to the exclusion of oils obtained using solvents or re-esterification processes and of any mixture with oils of other kinds. It is marketed in accordance with the following designations and definitions:

Virgin olive oils are the oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, particularly thermal conditions, that do not lead to alterations in the oil, and which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration.

Virgin olive oils fit for consumption as they are include:

1. Extra virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.8 grams per 100 grams, and the other characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard.
2. Virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 2 grams per 100 grams and the other characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard
3. Ordinary virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams and the other characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard.^{[note 1]}

Virgin olive oil not fit for consumption as it is, designated lampante virgin olive oil, is virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams and/or the organoleptic characteristics and other characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard. It is intended for refining or for technical use.

Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard.^{[note 2]}

Olive oil is the oil consisting of a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils fit for consumption as they are. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 1 gram per 100 grams and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard.^{[note 3]}

Olive pomace oil is the oil obtained by treating olive pomace with solvents or other physical treatments, to the exclusion of oils obtained by re-esterification processes and of any mixture with oils of other kinds. It is marketed in accordance with the following designations and definitions:

1. Crude olive pomace oil is olive pomace oil whose characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard. It is intended for refining for use for human consumption, or for technical use.
2. Refined olive pomace oil is the oil obtained from crude olive pomace oil by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard^{[note 4]}
3. Olive pomace oil is the oil comprising the blend of refined olive pomace oil and virgin olive oils fit for consumption as they are. It has a free acidity of not more than 1 gram per 100 grams and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard.^{[note 5]} In no case shall this blend be called olive oil.

Notes

IOC Mario Solinas Quality Award

The IOC Mario Solinas Quality Award was launched in the year 2000 to reward producers, producer associations and packers for excellence and craftsmanship in the production of extra virgin olive oils. A twin aim is to increase consumer awareness and visibility of the wide range of sensory attributes of the superior extra virgin olive oils found on the marketplace.

Entries are classified in different categories according to their fruitiness and evaluated by IOC-recognised panels which use a 100-point profile sheet to rate their smell, taste, retronasal sensations, harmony, complexity and persistence.

The highest scorers are then assessed by an international panel of judges who pick the first, second and third prize winners in each section of the competition. Winners receive a medal and a diploma. They are also allowed to mention their Award on bottles of extra virgin olive oil belonging to the same batch as the prize winner.

Notes

External links

• International Olive Council: official website.