The US has its own USDA olive oil grade standards, but they are not up to par as compared to the international standards.It is one of few countries that has not adopted the International Olive Oil Council standards. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) determined, published, and brought into effect on March 22, 1948 it’s own grade definitions. The criteria for their grades are far less complicated than those of the IOOC. Each grade is expected to be within an acceptable range of color and is rated for it’s level of free acidity, flavor, aroma and the absence of defects. For a more detailed explanation of the scoring for each grade, see the USDA olive oil grade standards.US Grade A (Fancy) - Fancy Olive Oil has a free acidity of not more than 1.4 percent. It is free from defects, and scores at least 90 of a possible 100 for flavor and aroma.
US Grade B (Choice) - Choice Olive Olive has a free acidity of not more than 2.5 percent. It is reasonably free from defects, has reasonable flavor and aroma and scores at least 80.
US Grade C (Standard) - Standard olive oil has a free acidity of not more than 3.0 percent. It is fairly free from defects, has fairly typical flavor and aroma and scores at least 70.
US Grade D (Substandard) - Substandard olive oil fails to meet grade C olive oil standards.
These standards are pretty vague and don’t offer the quality assurance that the IOOC standards do. The highest grade (fancy) is allowed a free acidity of almost double that of the IOOC's highest grade which is .08 percent. I love olive oil, and although I am not an expert, these definitions raise some obvious questions. What is “reasonable” or “fairly typical”? In 1992 a group of trade members formed the California Olive Oil Council. They require an even higher quality than the IOOC in order to earn their seal. If you want to buy olive oil that is produced in the US, look for their seal. It assures that you are buying a high quality extra virgin olive oil.
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