Going out to eat is a common habit, but the way olive oil is served continues to raise questions. In Spain, the use of reused olive oil bottles has been banned since 2014. In Portugal, although there is no identical measure, the law requires that olive oil served at the table be in tamper-proof and non-reusable packaging, guaranteeing safety, traceability and transparency.
The topic gained prominence after a video by Spanish expert Alfredo López, sommelier, winemaker and olive oil technician, in which he denounces that many establishments continue to use adulterated bottles.
According to the Spanish digital newspaper HuffPost, López states that he still finds “manipulated bottles” in Spanish cafes and restaurants.
Law in Spain and situation in Portugal
Since January 1, 2014, Spanish restaurants have been obliged to only serve olive oil in containers with anti-reuse lids or in single doses, in order to guarantee authenticity and avoid mixing.
In Portugal, although the anti-reuse “ball” format is not mandatory, there is specific legislation: Ordinance No. 24/2005 and Decree-Law No. 76/2010 determine that olive oil served as a seasoning must be in tamper-proof, non-reusable and properly labeled packaging.
ASAE monitors compliance with these rules and may impose fines when the content does not correspond to what is indicated or when the packaging allows reuse.
In practice, this means that traditional cruets cannot be used to serve olive oil to consumers. Commercial bottles also cannot be reused or filled with unidentified mixtures.
The “ball” trick
In the viral video, López explains that, in Spain, many tampered bottles include a small sphere inside, a sign that the anti-reuse cap has been forced: “If the ball is inside, it is because the bottle was opened to be refilled”.
In Portugal this system is not mandatory, but some restaurants use similar packaging. When manipulated, they can also indicate improper reuse, prohibited by national legislation.
Why do these rules exist?
The Spanish Government justified in 2014 that the measure aimed to guarantee authenticity, protect designations of origin and reinforce consumer confidence, according to .
This principle is similar in Portugal: ensuring that the olive oil served corresponds to what is labeled and preventing fraud. ASAE has reinforced that the use of non-tamper-proof packaging facilitates substitutions or mixtures that jeopardize the quality of the olive oil.
In a country where many tourists come into contact with Portuguese olive oil for the first time through restaurants, ensuring safe and correctly labeled packaging remains essential.
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