3% 587.700 20,2% Greece 408.375 16,2% 386.385 15,1% 332.600 11,4% Syria 165.354 6,6% 123.143 4,8% 168.163 5,8% Tunisia 115.000 4,6% 210.000 8,2% 150.000 5,2% Turkey 185.000 7,3% 115.000 4,5% 143.600 4,9% Morocco 40.000 1,6% 50.000 2,

    1.199.200    41,2%
 Italy    507.400    20,1%    671.315    26,3%    587.700    20,2%
 Greece    408.375    16,2%    386.385    15,1%    332.600    11,4%
 Syria    165.354    6,6%    123.143    4,8%    168.163    5,8%
 Tunisia    115.000    4,6%    210.000    8,2%    150.000    5,2%
 Turkey    185.000    7,3%    115.000    4,5%    143.600    4,9%
 Morocco    40.000    1,6%    50.000    2,0%    95.300    3,3%
 Algeria    30.488    1,2%    34.694    1,4%    56.000    1,9%
 Portugal    25.974    1,0%    31.817    1,2%    53.300    1,8%
 Argentina    10.500    0,4%    20.000    0,8%    22.700    0,8%
 Lebanon    5.300    0,2%    6.800    0,3%    19.700    0,7%
 Jordan    27.202    1,1%    17.458    0,7%    16.760    0,6%
 Libya    6.000    0,2%    7.900    0,3%    15.000    0,5%
TOTAL    2.518.629    100,0%    2.552.182    100,0%    2.911.115    100%
[20] FAO
Regulation[edit]

Main article: Olive oil regulation and adulteration
Olive oil is classified by how it was produced, by its chemistry, and by panels that perform olive oil taste testing.[21]


International Olive Council building
The International Olive Council (IOC) — an intergovernmental organization based in Madrid, Spain, with 16 member states plus the European Union.[22] — promotes olive oil around the world by tracking production, defining quality standards, and monitoring authenticity. The IOC officially governs 95% of international production and holds great influence over the rest. The EU regulates the use of different protected designation of origin labels for olive oils.[23]
The United States is not a member of the IOC and is not subject to its authority, but on October 25, 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopted new voluntary olive oil grading standards that closely parallel those of the IOC, with some adjustments for the characteristics of olives grown in the U.S.[24] Additionally, U.S. Customs regulations on "country of origin" state that if a non-origin nation is shown on the label, then the real origin must be shown on the same side of the label and in comparable size letters so as not to mislead the consumer.[25][26] Yet most major U.S. brands continue to put "imported from Italy" on the front label in large letters and other origins on the back in very small print.[27] "In fact, olive oil labeled 'Italian' often comes from Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, and Greece."[28] This makes it unclear what percentage of the olive oil is really of Italian origin. This practice makes it difficult for high quality, lower cost producers outside of Italy to enter the U.S. market, and for genuine Italian producers to compete.
Commercial grades[edit]
All production begins by transforming the oli