Olive Oil Supply Programs

ALPHATRADE supplies Spanish-origin olive oil in bulk and retail formats and contracts with you as seller. The grade and pack format are selected from the range on this page and written into the program specification, with analysis issued against that specification for each lot.

Against a written specification, not the grade name. The Spanish-origin specification above sets the limits that define the extra virgin category and its authenticity: acidity, peroxide value, ultraviolet absorbance, ethyl esters, waxes, stigmastadienes, fatty acid and sterol composition and the ECN42 difference. The category also requires an organoleptic assessment by a trained panel, so sensory acceptance is agreed per program. Each lot is analyzed against the agreed specification, and the analysis is issued for the lot shipped.

Extra virgin and virgin olive oil are obtained from olives solely by mechanical means. Extra virgin has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of 0.8% or less, a fruity taste and no sensory defects; virgin allows up to 2.0% and slight sensory defects, also with a fruity taste. Olive oil sold as pure or mild is a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil with a free acidity of 1.0% or less; pure and mild are trade descriptions, not separate EU categories. Olive pomace oil blends refined olive-pomace oil, obtained from the residue left after olive oil extraction, with virgin olive oil. Further chemical and sensory limits apply to every category under EU Regulation 2022/2104 and the International Olive Council trade standard.

For Spanish-origin olive oil in 20 L (5.3 US gal) PET bottles, the documented 20 ft loading is up to 11 pallets, 9,900 L (2,615 US gal), on pallets only; a 40 ft container takes 25 pallets, or 24 in a 40 ft non-operating reefer. Loading for other formats is planned for the selected program, and the final pallet and container plan is confirmed with the quotation.

The documented retail formats are the glass bottle, the PET bottle, the tin and the 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz) spray bottle, alongside the 10 ml (0.34 US fl oz) single-portion pot for foodservice. Larger programs use PET bottles up to 25 L (6.6 US gal), food-grade plastic containers in 10 and 20 L (2.6 and 5.3 US gal), and bulk formats in steel drums, IBC totes and flexitanks. Shelf life differs by pack and is shown in the packaging section.

Four things, in this order: the product and the pack format; print-ready artwork, or a brief if design support is needed; written confirmation of rights to any licensed name, logo or mark that appears on the pack; and the destination labeling review, where the ingredient and allergen declarations are checked against the requirements of the market the goods enter.

Olive oil falls under HS heading 1509 and olive pomace oil under 1510. In the 2022 edition of the Harmonized System, extra virgin olive oil is 1509.20, virgin olive oil 1509.30, other virgin olive oils 1509.40, and other olive oil, including blends of refined and virgin oil, 1509.90; olive pomace oil is 1510.10 when crude and 1510.90 otherwise. These codes cover the oils as such; flavored preparations are classified separately. National tariff lines add further digits, so the full code is confirmed with the importer or its customs representative for the destination market.

FSVP obligations sit with the designated FSVP importer, where applicable, and producing facilities keep their own applicable FDA obligations. The Foreign Supplier Verification Program is the importer's duty under FSMA, not the supplier's, and the FSVP importer is generally the US owner or consignee at entry, which may be a different company from the customs importer of record. Prior Notice must reach the FDA before arrival, filed by the designated filer. ALPHATRADE supplies the supplier-side evidence the importer's file requires and provides the product, producing-site and shipment data the filer needs.