After several years collaborating in European projects, with both associations maintaining the same quality standards in their respective brands, QvExtra! And CEQ Italia are merging their quality seal logos.
QvExtra! International, founded in February 2013 as a commitment to excellence, has become a reliable and solid benchmark for extra virgin olive oil at an international level. “We are convinced that only by promoting excellence the sector can be revitalised”. To this end, this association created the Seal International Quality Extra Virgin (SIQEV). This seal is the product of an agreement between producers, experts and consumers, certifies that the product bearing it meets strict quality requirements that exceed those established in current EU regulations. This standard guarantees consumer that the bottle contains excellent extra virgin olive oil. This is ensured through an external audit system carried out on the shelves by the international certification company SGS on the best-before date.
The Consorzio di Garanzia dell’olio extravergine di qualità (CEQ Italia), founded in 2001, certifies Italian extra virgin olive oil with its collective seal. CEQ Italia applies quality, analytical and organoleptic standards that are much stricter than those required for the extra virgin category. Throughout its 20-plus years of activity, CEQ has carried out numerous communication campaigns and training courses for operators, as well as producing specifications and organizing public awareness events on the benefits of producing and consuming certified, high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Both associations share a clear interest in promoting excellence and currently certify around 5 bottles annually. They have decided to unify the image of the seal and the self-monitoring system carried out by SGS on the international shelves. This will enable them to convey to consumers the importance of this certification, which guarantees extra virgin olive oils with excellent nutritional and sensory properties while respecting different origins. The associations also hope that other countries will join this project so that, together, they can campaign for the recognition of an international high-quality seal that will help consumers recognize the added value of these oils and encourage producers to commit to producing them.
SIQEV standards by best-before date:
