A short illustrated New York Times piece highlighting rampant adulteration and fraud in Italy’s olive oil industry recently went viral, sparking heated discussions on the matter. Since its publication on January 25, several corrections have been made to the article. The author and illustrator, Nicholas Blechman, originally stated that bottles of olive oil are consistently falsely branded with the ‘Made in Italy’ label. The claim has since been revised to specify that some bottles are misleadingly designated as ‘Packed in Italy’ or ‘Imported from Italy.’
The Coldiretti Toscana (farmers’ federation), in response, sent six bottles of olive oil—produced with olives gathered, pressed and bottled exclusively in the Tuscany region—to Blechman and Times executive editor Jill Abramson. Tulio Marcelli, president of the Coldiretti Toscana, explained that this gesture serves to distinguish between ‘those who cheat and those who respect the rules,’ and went on to cite the need to work together to combat fraud.
Tom Mueller, journalist and author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, also addressed the article and the reaction it elicited. Speaking at ‘L’oro in Bocca,’ a Slow Food conference held in Florence on February 6, Mueller explained that the Times ‘did, in fact, say some true things, but they forgot to mention that here in Italy, there are many people who excel at the art of producing oil.’
