NAOOA Announces Tougher Quality Measures for its 'NAOOA Certified' Seal – Carried on 49% of U.S. Branded Olive Oil Sales

NAOOA is implementing program enhancements designed to exceed international standards and further strengthen consumer confidence

NEPTUNE, NJ, UNITED STATES, March 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) today announced that its “NAOOA Certified” seal program – which assures consumers that participating olive oils are authentic and not diluted with seed oils – now appears on 49% of branded olive oil sold in the United States, according to the latest syndicated data. Building on this market leadership, the NAOOA is implementing program enhancements designed to exceed international standards and further strengthen consumer confidence. The program is open to NAOOA members and in 2025 featured 99 different products, including many store brands.

"Nearly half the market has chosen to participate in the only seal program in the U.S. that involves regular random off-the-shelf testing," said Joseph R. Profaci, NAOOA Executive Director. "That validates what we've known for years – transparency builds trust. And with our NAOOA Certified webpage receiving over 250,000 visits annually, consumers are actively seeking products they can rely on."

Purity remains consumers’ number one concern about olive oil, estimated to represent 90% of consumer inquiries the NAOOA receives through its website. The NAOOA’s 2024 Testing Study found zero adulteration in 190 samples of olive oil from the top 15 brands representing 85% of the market. With this foundation of market integrity established, the association is taking additional steps to ensure its seal represents not just authenticity, but overall quality and a better consumer experience.

Enhanced NAOOA Certified seal program requirements include:

• Stricter Chemical Standard: Lowering free acidity limits (i.e., FFA) for extra virgin olive oils from 0.8%, which is the international standard, to 0.5%, matching the NAOOA’s FDA standard of identity petition jointly filed with the American Olive Oil Producers’ Association.

• Shorter Shelf Time: Limiting the “best if used by” date to no more than 18 months from bottling vs. the international standards recommendation of up to 2 years from bottling.

• Quality Tracking Database: Establishing year-over-year monitoring to help companies and retailers improve supply chain management practices, in partial response to insights from the 2024 Testing Program study.

• Increased Testing Frequency: Expanding monitoring of products with wider national distribution.

• Mandatory Facility Audits: Requiring third-party audits of every facility where NAOOA Certified products are bottled.

• Geographic Expansion: Extending the program to Canada, with plans for additional markets in the future.

“These changes reflect our commitment to continuous improvement,” said Profaci. “Consumer confidence is the foundation of growth in our industry, and it’s a keystone of our recent 2026 State of the Industry report. As household penetration reaches 50.9% – a number we want to see go even higher – we have a responsibility to ensure every bottle delivers what the consumer expects.”

Joseph R. Profaci
North American Olive Oil Association
info@naooa.org
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