A legislative hearing calling attention to the damaging effects that fraudulent and low-quality olive oil have on honest olive oil growers and producers, as well as consumers, has been honored by the American Library Association.

The hearing, called by state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and her Subcommittee on Olive Oil Production and Emerging Products, earned a 2012 Notable Document award from the association. The ALA selected the transcript of the hearing on “Challenges Facing California’s Olive Oil Industry” as one of four in the state to earn the title.

Nationwide, 22 such documents were awarded, intended to recognize the individuals and agencies involved in producing “excellent sources of information and inspiration” and “commend individual works of superlative nature.”

“The purpose of this hearing was to increase awareness of the issues facing consumers and producers of high quality olive oil in California,” Wolk said in a news release. “Consumers need to be sure they are getting first-rate extra virgin olive oil and that they are getting what they pay for. Honest growers and producers are harmed by fraudulent and low-quality oil.”

Added Doreen Horstin, California documents librarian at the San Francisco Public Library, “Although California olive oil has emerged as a major agricultural product in Northern California, many consumers are unaware of issues with purity and quality when purchasing olive oil.

“This transcript thoroughly explains these issues from the perspective of both the growers and the scientists who produce and test California’s olive oil, and will help library users understand these issues and heighten the level of awareness among consumers who purchase olive oil.”

Said Dan Flynn, executive director of the UC Davis Olive Oil Center, “Consumers are being ripped off and honest producers are being treated unfairly. That was the message of the hearing, and it reverberated worldwide.”

The hearing transcript is available online at http://archive.org/details/challengesfacing2012cali or by calling the California Senate Publications Office at 916-651-1538.

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