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or different cultivars.
    We also see the terms light olive oil and extra light olive oil . These terms are often used as marketing ploys. Consumers may think that “extra” means “extra virgin,” which it does not, and may think that “light” refers to fewer calories, which it does not. “Light” does not mean fewer calories; all oil has the same number of calories: 120 per tablespoon. These are refined oils that are lighter in color, fragrance, and taste.
    The Problem with the Classifications … But There Is Good News
    The trouble with these various definitions is that not all countries (including the United States) use European Union regulations or IOOC standards. Theoretically, a producer can chemically refine an olive oil and label it “extra virgin,” or an importer can label inferior oil as “extra virgin.” The good news is that there is a law that requires a label to include the country of origin of the oils. It is not enough to merely indicate “imported from” or “packed in,” the label must specify where the oils originated. Read labels! You may think you are buying an Italian olive oil, only to discover on the back of the label a line reading: “Packed in Italy with oils of Italy, Spain, Greece, and Tunisia.”
    Another note of good news is that several regions,states, and countries issue seals and certifications of authenticity of origin and specific standards for their extra virgin olive oils. In the United States, California issues the COOC (California Olive Oil Council) seal; for Italian oils, look for DOP (Denominazone di Origine Protetta), translated as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), and IPG (Indicazione Geografica Protetta), translated as PGI (Protected Geographical Indication); for Greek oils, look for PDO (Protected Designation of Origin); for French oils, the designation is AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée); and for Spanish oils, the DO (Denominación de Origen) initials will appear.

    In the United States, the COOC works with its own certified tasting panel and issues the COOC seal to those oils that achieve the IOOC extra virgin olive oil rating. The IOOC has accredited experts and “taste panels” that operate in various participating producer countries; it has given them the specific task of certifying that oils are truly extra virgin olive oils according to IOOC organoleptic (taste and aroma) specifications. The first California official olive oil panel of tasters was certified in 2001 by the IOOC . The COOC , in cooperation with the University of California at Davis extension, created this panel. Headed by Roberto Zecca and Paul Vossen, it meets several times a month to judge whether submitted California olive oils meet the IOOC standards and can accurately be labeled “extra virgin olive oil”—that is, oil without any defects.
    A tasting panel conducts blind organoleptic evaluations of olive oils and makes a determination based upon the presence or absence of defects. Specific adjectives are used to describe both the positive attributes and the major defects of the oils sampled. The positive attribute taste descriptors are fruity (fruttato) , bitter (amaro) , and pungent (piccante) . Descriptors, used to describe the sensory perception of defects, include fusty, musty, winey-vinegary, muddy sediment, metallic, and rancid. The IOOC provides certified tasting panels with detailed instructions and a standard assessment form, called a Profile Sheet, which is used to document the judging of extra virgin olive oil.
    Annual olive oil competitions abound in many olive oil-producing countries. Major competitions in Europe include the Leone D’Oro and L’Orciolo D’Oro, both of which are international, and the Ercole Olivario, which is open only to estate-produced Italian oils. The only competition held in the United States is the Olive Oils of the World competition at the Los Angeles County Fair each May, where a team, including world-renowned official