Deoleo Inc. Charged with Mislabeling Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Deoleo USA Inc. and Med Foods Inc. were named as defendants in a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California within the last couple of years.

The complainant in the case against the olive oil importers and distributors, plaintiff Scott K., accuses the companies of falsely labeling Bertolli Extra Virgin olive oil, Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil, and Bertolli Classico Olive Oil.

Origin of Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil

One of the big issues in this false labeling class action lawsuit is the true country of origin for the olive oil. The labeling indicates that the oil is strictly ‘imported from Italy’.

The product may indeed pass through Italy, where Bertolli extra virgin olive oil and other olive oil products are mixed and bottled. But according to the plaintiff, the oils come from olives grown and pressed in several countries. Just some of those countries were Greece, Chile, Spain, Australia, Turkey, and Tunisia.

A product “imported from Italy” would come with the automatic association of high-quality cuisine and top world chefs, the plaintiff claims. The use of a statement identifying the oils as “imported from Italy,” according to the Bertolli lawsuit,  is deliberately manipulative of the consumer and allows for premium pricing.

Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil Allegedly Filtered

According to an Olive Oil Times article, the term “extra virgin” when referring to olive oil is a claim to a lack of filtration. Essentially, extra virgin olive oil is the pure juice of the olive obtained within a certain temperature window by physical or mechanical means. The temperature window is of utmost importance, as big thermal differences can theoretically change the resultant oil.

Bertolli extra virgin olive oil by its name is claiming to be unfiltered and protected from sunlight and temperature extremes, according to the plaintiff.

The claims of this Bertolli class action lawsuit are that the term “extra virgin” is again a mislabel designed to manipulate the consumer. Consumers could rely on the term to indicate a product of a particular quality.

Choice of Packaging

Also at issue in this Bertolli class action lawsuit investigation is the packaging chosen by the defendants for their products. Heat and light can break down certain elements of olive oils. If the product was indeed ‘”extra virgin” when bottled, the plaintiff says, the clear bottles used for Bertolli extra virgin olive oil are inadequate to preserve the product at a quality that could be considered “extra virgin.”

Scott K., plaintiff in this case, claims that no effort to use a proper container was made when it came to packaging the oil. The defendants allegedly knew that the olive oil would not qualify for such standards as “extra virgin” by the time it reached the hands of the intended purchasers.

If you purchased Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Bertolli Classico Olive Oil, or Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil outside the state of California and within the qualifying time period, you could qualify to participate in an ongoing Bertolli class action investigation.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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