Brazilian Tests Flag Three Portuguese Olive Oils as Mislabelled 'Extra Virgin'

Three well-known Portuguese olive-oil brands have been caught up in a testing dispute in Brazil, where preliminary laboratory results suggest that oils sold as "extra virgin" may not have earned the label. The findings, released as part of a public civil action, are not yet considered conclusive by the Brazilian authorities — but they land squarely on Portugal, by some distance the largest supplier of olive oil to the Brazilian market.

The analyses were carried out under a public civil action brought by Brazil's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), following a court order. According to local press, the preliminary results pointed to discrepancies between the grade declared on the labels and the grade found in the samples. Among the brands named by Brazilian media are the Portuguese labels Andorinha, Gallo and Terras de Camões.

The specifics matter. Andorinha and Gallo appear linked to samples sold as extra virgin olive oil that the tests reportedly reclassified as ordinary virgin oil — a lower category. The Terras de Camões sample was classified as lampante, the lowest grade of all: an oil normally destined for refining, which cannot legally be sold directly to consumers as olive oil at all. Achieving the extra-virgin classification requires meeting strict quality parameters, and a downgrade signals that a sample fell short of them.

Crucially, this is not a food-safety alarm. Questioned by Lusa on Thursday, Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock stressed that the results are preliminary and still subject to expert analysis and counter-testing, so they do not permit definitive conclusions about the products' conformity. The ministry underlined that a preliminary classification, on its own, does not indicate a public-health risk, adding that any situation that could endanger consumers is met with immediate inspection and communication measures.

The ministry declined to officially confirm the brands involved, arguing that inspection procedures are ongoing and that companies are entitled to counter-tests. "The right to expert analysis and counter-tests is guaranteed by law to companies in observance of the right to contest and to a full defence," it said. The Portuguese and other foreign brands will have the chance to challenge the findings before anything is settled.

The context helps explain why the story travels. Brazil imports almost all of the olive oil it consumes — around 99% — and Portugal is the dominant source, supplying 53% of the vegetable fats and oils on Brazilian shelves. The Brazilian government was at pains to frame the case as routine vigilance rather than a scandal: "In the regular trade of imported olive oils, the number of non-conformities is low, and the non-conformities detected generally do not represent risks to consumer health." Its bigger worry, it said, lies with domestic fraud — clandestine operators mixing vegetable oils such as soy with dyes and flavourings.

Portuguese producers are treading carefully. In a statement to Lusa, Andorinha — part of the Sovena group — said it "is closely following the news reported about the olive-oil analyses carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and awaits further information from the competent authorities for a complete investigation of the facts," offering its cooperation. Spanish, Italian and retailer brands were also flagged in the same round of results, leaving Portugal's exporters to wait, like the rest, for the counter-tests to run their course.