Malta, as an EU member state, implements EU regulations on olive oil marketing standards. The specific Maltese legislation is the "Olive Oil (Marketing Standards) (Implementing) Regulations" under Subsidiary Legislation 427.101 (MCCAA), which transposes EU regulations into Maltese law.
According to the regulations applicable in Malta, there are four main categories of olive oil recognized:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Must be labeled as "superior category olive oil obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means"
Virgin Olive Oil - Must be labeled as "olive oil obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means"
Olive Oil (composed of refined olive oils and virgin olive oils) - Must be labeled as "oil comprising exclusively olive oils that have undergone refining and oils obtained directly from olives"
Olive-Pomace Oil - Must be labeled as "oil comprising exclusively oils obtained by treating the product obtained after the extraction of olive oil and oils obtained directly from olives," or "oil comprising exclusively oils obtained by processing olive pomace oil and oils obtained directly from olives"
The regulations in Malta are based on Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 29/2012 on marketing standards for olive oil and Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 on the characteristics of olive oil and olive-residue oil. These have since been updated by EU Delegated Regulation 2022/2104.
The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) oversees compliance with these standards, ensuring that chemical and sensory characteristics of olive oil products meet the requirements for their designated category.
Due to the recent setting up of the Malta Food Safety and Security Authority, these functions have now been absorbed by the new Authority.
