The Australian Olive Association (AOA) is developing a table olive Code of Practice in conjunction with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
In line with the recent development of the olive industry Code of Practice from the AOA, the AOA Table Olive Subcommittee has been working with FSANZ to draft the Code of Practice specifically for table olives. This Code will adopt the International Standard for Table Olives from the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The Code of Practice for table olives will seek to guarantee the authenticity and quality of Australian table olives and distinguish them from imported products. It will also establish Australian standards for the industry to ensure food safety and high quality.
AOA Table Olive Subcommittee’s Jim Smyth said that it is important to establish Australian standards for table olives to help the industry compete with imports.
“In Australia, the quality of table olives being produced is as good if not better than the olives being imported. Although, because it is a relatively small industry made up of mostly boutique growers, it is limited greatly by the costs of harvesting,” said Smyth.
The table olive Code of Practice will include industry standards for production that will cover planting, growing, harvesting, transport, processing, packing and storage.
“The AOA is committed to the entire olive industry and is working with growers to help find solutions to the issues facing the industry, such as the high cost of harvesting table olives.
“We are researching the viability of mechanical harvesting and automatic colour and quality sorting, so together with the Code of Practice, we hope to build a strong and sustained olive industry,” Smyth added.