Celebrate the Health and Versatility of Olive Oil
NAOOA Certified Quality Seal Program
The North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) conducts the nation's largest and most complete olive oil testing and certification program. We purchase olive oil from supermarkets in the USA and Canada and test multiple times per year for adherence to the standards set by the International Olive Council (IOC). The olive oils listed below are certified by the North American Olive Oil Association for both purity and quality. Look for the NAOOA quality seal when shopping for olive oils.
There are many brands of olive oils not listed above. Absence from the above list does not mean that there are issues with the olive oil. It is a condition of NAOOA membership that all oil marketed by members must meet or exceed the International Olive Council (IOC) standard, so membership in the NAOOA is a de facto certification program. The NAOOA Certified Quality Seal Program steps up quality control another notch by submitting the Seal products for testing even more frequently and by including organoleptic analysis. One key difference with the NAOOA Certified Quality Seal and other programs is that brands participating in this program agree to have samples taken directly from the retail marketplace, in the same manner any consumer would purchase them.
To use the seal, a company must be an NAOOA member in good standing and the type of oil bearing the seal must be tested to ensure it meets or exceeds the IOC standard for olive oil. For more than fifty years, the IOC has been recognized as the worldwide quality-standard-setting body for the olive oil industry and its standard is the basis for the newly implemented USDA standard. An annual licensing fee for the Seal program allows the NAOOA to perform rigorous quality testing of each product at least twice per year.
The Certified Quality Seal Program demonstrates the NAOOA's long-standing commitment to educate consumers about the benefits of olive oil and ensures the integrity of the product. It also lets product marketed by NAOOA members stand out from the competition, and with good reason. These companies have taken the initiative to lead the industry by voluntarily following standards that are far more stringent than what’s required by the U.S. government.
