(a) It is unlawful to manufacture, sell, offer for sale, give away, or to possess imitation olive oil in California.

(b) This section does not prohibit the blending of olive oil with other edible oils, if the blend is not labeled as olive oil or imitation olive oil, is clearly labeled as a blended vegetable oil, and if the contents and proportions of the blend are prominently displayed on the container’s label, or if the oil is a flavored olive oil.

Terms Used In California Health and Safety Code 112895

  • department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
  • Flavored olive oil: as used in this chapter , means extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, or olive oil, that is mixed with a flavoring, or olives that are processed into oil with any fruit, vegetable, herb, nut, seed, or spice and the product resulting from either process contains not less than 90 percent extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, or olive oil, and is labeled for sale as an olive oil that has been flavored. See California Health and Safety Code 112878
  • Imitation olive oil: as used in this chapter , means the mixture of any edible oil artificially colored or flavored to resemble olive oil. See California Health and Safety Code 112879
  • Olive oil: as used in this chapter means the edible oil obtained solely from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europea L. See California Health and Safety Code 112875
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23

(c) If any olive oil is produced, processed, sold, offered for sale, given away, or possessed in California, that indicates on its label “California Olive Oil,” or uses words of similar import that indicate that California is the source of the oil, 100 percent of that oil shall be derived from olives grown in California.

(d) Any container of olive oil produced, processed, sold, offered for sale, given away, or possessed in California which contains olive oil produced from olives grown in locations other than California, in whole or in part, and includes “California” in any form on the principal display panel shall state on the same panel the minimum percentage of olive oil in the container produced from olives grown in California in a font size that is no less than the largest font used to print “California” on the same panel. The percentage shall be declared by the words, “___percent (or ____%) California” or “____ percent (or ____%) California olive oil.” This subdivision shall not apply to a container of olive oil produced on or before December 31, 2021.

(e) Any olive oil produced, processed, sold, offered for sale, given away, or possessed in California with a principal display panel that uses “California” or any reference to it shall comply with the quality and purity standards set forth in the “Grade and Labeling Standards for Olive Oil, Refined-Olive Oil, and Olive-Pomace Oil” published by the Department of Food and Agriculture.

(f) Olive oil produced, processed, sold, offered for sale, given away, or possessed in California, that indicates on its label that it is from a specific region of California shall be made of oil at least 85 percent of which, by weight, is derived from olives grown in the specified region.

(g) This section does not prohibit an olive oil producer or processor from using a truthful, nonmisleading statement or representation regarding the geographic origin of the olives used in the production of the olive oil in any label, packaging material, or advertising if the label, packaging material, or advertising contains no representation that is prohibited by this section.

(h) Olive oil produced, processed, sold, offered for sale, given away, or possessed in California, that indicates on its label that it is from a specific estate in California shall be made of oil at least 95 percent of which, by weight, is derived from olives grown on the specified estate.

(i) Olive-pomace oil shall not be labeled as olive oil.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 466, Sec. 1. (AB 535) Effective January 1, 2022.)

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