The European Commission has published a draft Delegated Regulation amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 concerning marketing standards for olive oil under Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. The proposed amendment aligns EU requirements with recent updates adopted by the International Olive Council (IOC), particularly regarding total sterol content in certain monovarietal extra virgin olive oils.
Key Proposed Amendments
A new Article 8a would require extra virgin olive oils produced solely from the:
a) Koroneiki variety, or
b) Nocellara del Belice variety,
to clearly indicate the olive variety on:
1.the product label,
2.accompanying documents, and
3.any other labeling materials.
4.Annex I of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 would be revised to introduce updated limits for the chemical parameter “total sterol content” applicable to these monovarietal oils.
Background
The amendment follows IOC Decision DEC-III.1/121-VI/2025 adopted during the 121st IOC session held on 8 July 2025.
The IOC recognized that some authentic, high-quality monovarietal extra virgin olive oils naturally fail to meet the existing sterol limits due to:
olive variety,
ripeness,
geographical conditions, and
irrigation practices.
As an interim measure pending completion of an ongoing IOC study, the IOC lowered the sterol limit specifically for:
Koroneiki oils, and
Nocellara del Belice oils.
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