The North American Olive Oil Association has filed a lawsuit against television host Dr. Oz under a largely untested Georgia food libel law, objecting to his claims that much of the imported extra virgin olive oil sold in U.S. supermarkets may be fake, according to Reuters.
The New Jersey-based association seeks an unspecified amount in damages. The lawsuit claims Dr. Oz, host of a popular daytime TV talk show, violated the Georgia law when he stated that 80 percent of the extra virgin olive oil sold in supermarkets “isn’t the real deal” and “may even be fake.”
The association says those claims are untrue.
The lawsuit centers around a May 12th episode in which the host talked with a so-called oil expert that spoke about “fraudulent olive oil” being imported into the United States.
The association says Dr. Oz failed to disclose his guest worked for the California Olive Ranch that competes with foreign olive oil manufacturers.
The association says its own testing has found 95 percent of imported oil met or exceeded quality and purity standards between 2013 and 2015.
