EU forced to rescind ban on olive oil jugs
The climb-down overrides a decision by the EU last week requiring that olive oil "presented at a restaurant table" must be in factory packaged bottles with a tamper-proof hygienic nozzle, and printed labelling in line with Brussels standards.
In a humiliating U-turn, the European commissioner for agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, admitted that the proposed ban on traditional olive oil jugs had provoked popular loathing, or "misunderstanding".
"It was a measure intended to help consumers, to protect and inform them, but it is clear that it cannot attract consumer support," he said.
The ban on the use of jugs, cruets or bowls to serve olive oil was justified as necessary because of alleged fraud in restaurants, but commission officials admitted they have no evidence of the practice.
"We don't have any evidence. It is anecdotal and that was enough for the committee," said an official.
The decision has highlighted the bizarre system of Brussels regulation, known as "comitology", where binding legislation is automatically passed into law despite not having majority support among EU countries.
The outlawing of glass jugs or glazed terracotta dipping bowls led to a public outcry and many restaurateurs protested that it would end their freedom to buy olive oil from a small artisan producer or family business in favour of industrial products.
The ban was dropped after hostile press coverage, complaints from across the EU, and criticism from Holland and Germany led commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, whose father was a small artisanal olive oil producer, to intervene.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
The EU initially proposed banning unmarked olive oil jugs, cruets and dipping bowls on restaurant tables, requiring olive oil "presented at a restaurant table" to be in factory‑packaged bottles with a tamper‑proof hygienic nozzle and printed labelling. The measure was justified as a way to protect consumers from alleged fraud in restaurants, though commission officials later admitted they had no concrete evidence and that the concern was anecdotal.
The commission dropped the ban after widespread public outcry across Europe, hostile press coverage, complaints from EU countries and criticism from Holland and Germany. European Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Cioloș admitted the proposal had provoked popular "misunderstanding" and said it could not attract consumer support, prompting a humiliating U‑turn and intervention by commission president José Manuel Barroso.
Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloș acknowledged the proposal provoked popular loathing or "misunderstanding," and Commission President José Manuel Barroso intervened amid criticism and complaints that helped lead to the decision being dropped.
According to the article, commission officials admitted they had no evidence of routine fraud in restaurants — the concern was described as anecdotal, and that anecdote was apparently enough for the committee to support the measure initially.
Restaurateurs protested that outlawing glass jugs and glazed terracotta dipping bowls would limit their freedom to buy olive oil from small artisan producers or family businesses, effectively favouring industrially packaged products over traditional or local suppliers.
The article highlights 'comitology' as the Brussels regulatory system where binding legislation can be passed into law even without majority support among EU countries. The olive oil jugs episode exposed public concerns about that system after a measure moved forward despite limited backing and sparked a high‑profile reversal.
The proposed rules required olive oil presented at restaurant tables to be in factory‑packaged bottles featuring a tamper‑proof hygienic nozzle and printed labelling in line with Brussels standards, rather than being served from unmarked jugs, cruets or dipping bowls.
The episode shows that regulatory proposals can be vulnerable to rapid change if they provoke public backlash or media scrutiny. For investors, it’s a reminder to monitor political and reputational risk in heavily regulated markets—proposals based on anecdote or pushed through contentious regulatory processes like comitology can be reversed quickly when consumer sentiment and member‑state criticism mount.
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