EC drops olive oil bottles ban

The European Commission has dropped plans to ban restaurants from using refillable bottles of olive oil, after widespread criticism from citizens, consumers and MEPs. The policy would have forced restaurants to only serve olive oil in tamper-proof packaging, labelled to European Union standards, as of next year. The EC initially said that it wanted to protect consumers from “dodgy olive oil” and improve its quality and authenticity.
However, critics including Prime Minister David Cameron accused the EU of meddling.E
U Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloş confirmed that he had taken the decision once it became clear that consumers were against the plans. He said he would convene producers, traders, restaurateurs and consumers “round the same table” in a bid “to find a better way” (Packaging News, 24 May 2013).