From the very start, quality has been a central concern of the IOC which has prompted it to undertake studies and to take a stand on the various aspects of this issue.

For instance, with the firm backing of its members, the IOC managed to ban the practice of using esterification processes to produce olive oil. Food and trade standards make it possible to guarantee consumers a quality oil. When it comes to trade relations, they help to prevent and control various types of fraud and adulteration that could discredit the product and disrupt the balance on the international market.

To safeguard the quality of the products offered for sale, IOC members are also committed to prohibiting and curbing the use in their territories, for the purposes of international trade, of any designations for olive oils, olive-pomace oils or table olives that run counter to the principles of the Agreement.

The same concern for quality protection and control is behind IOC sponsorship of a voluntary self-regulatory scheme set up by olive oil exporters and importers associations on the markets where IOC promotional campaigns are underway.

These associations undertake to comply with the testing and analytical procedures in line with the purity and quality parameters laid down by the IOC. They also agree to recommend their members to abide by Council rules. Provision is also made for supervisory and monitoring mechanisms to curb fraud.

Lastly, there is the Mario Solinas Quality Award, which the OIC decided to create at its 74th session in Sousse, Tunisia, in June 1996. Besides helping to achieve the objectives of the Agreement, this Award is an additional quality-promoting tool and encourages consumers, producers and packers to pay more attention to virgin olive oils.