Callahan & Blaine

The sheer variety of olive oils on any given supermarket shelf can be overwhelming to the average shopper. Olive oils come in all shapes, sizes colors, and prices – and what do all those terms on the labels mean? Terms like “extra virgin,” “cold pressed,” and “unfiltered” are featured prominently on most olive oil labels – but without much of a clue for the consumer as to what they might mean. And they have never been legally defined or enforceable in the United States – until now.

This past April, the US Department of Agriculture came out with a list of “scientifically verifiable” standards for olive oil terms that producers are allowed to use on labels; they will start enforcing them in October of 2010. The definitions are designed to differentiate high-quality oils from inferior ones, cut down on marketing puffery and end the confusion for consumers.

Unfortunately, just because there are nationwide standards for olive oil labels, that doesn’t mean consumers can trust what is printed on all those fancy bottles. As California consumers recently found out, even well-known producers and retailers have failed to follow quality and labeling guidelines for olive oil – defrauding their customer base for the sake of squeezing out extra profit.

Callahan & Blaine recently filed a class action lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court against some of California’s largest distributors and retailers of so-called “extra virgin olive oil.” The suit charges that certain olive oil manufacturers, distributors and retailers have been labeling olive oil mixed with other edible oils as “extra virgin olive oil” in violation of California law.

The plaintiffs’ class for this case is represented by attorney Daniel J. Callahan, who is best known for a $934 million verdict that involved public health and safety issues in which Callahan represented medical product manufacturer Beckman Coulter.