If you have celiacs disease or you’re gluten sensitive, there’s lots of foods that you have to stay away from. There’s good news though-- olive oil isn’t one of them. As a fresh squeezed fruit juice made from olives, olive oil doesn’t contain any gluten in it.

If you’re in purchasing or procurement, getting the documents for the ingredients that you buy is a key part of your job. Some companies require more documentation than others because of their industry or their own product certifications. But no matter who you work for, you’re going to be requesting documents at some point or another.

If you’re sourcing bulk oils, here’s the top 6 documents that your supplier should be able to provide. These are also the most common documents that we at Centra Foods gets requests for on a daily basis.

The 2013/14 Harvest Season in Spain

As mentioned in prior commodity market updates, Spain has had a bumper harvest this last season (October 2013-February 2014), in comparison to the prior harvest season of 2012/13.  Most of us have felt the affects of this already.

In review, Spain had an even better harvest than predicted, with record volumes of olive oil produced (1,752,100 tons in Spain alone). This reflects an increase of 16% in comparison to the prior harvest year of 2012/13.  Spain continues to lead as the world's largest producer of olive oils.

The total global production of for the 2013/14 harvest year was assessed around 3,150,000 tons.

As we speak, predictions for the next harvest are beginning to surface, and olive oil users and producers are on alert.  Keep reading for more info on the next harvest and helpful resources.

It's safe to say, summer is in full swing!  Weather is hot, hot, hot around the country and this week, we officially made it into August.

Enjoy it while it's here!  We suggest on this perfect Sunday to kick back, have an ice cream and read the latest bulk oil trends from this week.  In case you missed it, this week was all about olive oil quality and characteristics.

Enjoy!

Olive oil comes in a variety of colors, from light pale yellow to dark green.  

So what makes olive oil come in so many different colors?  There's a number of reasons, ranging from what it's made from, to how it's made, to how it's stored.  Let's review the 5 most common things that can affect the color of an oil to make it what it is.

Sometimes it's hard to know if you've selected the right grade of olive oil.  But most manufacturers and distributors know what traits they need in their product (and therefore in their oil ingredients).  

• Does the flavor need to be light to not overwhelm the other ingredients?
• Does the color need to be light so that it doesn't make your product too dark?
• Do you produce an organic certified product?

Think through product needs (and therefore, your ingredient needs), and use this handy guide below to compare each grade of oil quickly and easily.

If you're looking for a bulk oil that is certified organic, chances are that you'd also like your oil to not contain any GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).  Good news for you-- all oils that are certified organic also are going to be non-GMO automatically.  

You should probably know a bit more of the details though, because it will affect your company as you're choosing ingredients, getting non-GMO or organic certified or preparing your ingredient documentation.

The term expeller pressed is becoming more popular in the natural foods industry.  Many oils are now described as expeller pressed and consumers are seeking out these natural options.  

It's not often that olive oil is described as expeller pressed though. But, technically, is it?

We'd like to first clarify what expeller pressed means, how that fits in with olive oil and, then again, how it doesn't.

The natural and specialty food markets have taken a turn towards using safflower and sunflower oil as their preferred oil ingredient in their products.  These healthier oils are now being used in place of soybean, canola and other mild, light-colored oils.

Why?  With safflower and sunflower oil, you get close to the same benefits of olive oil, without the color or flavor-- plus it comes at a lower price.

Have you noticed this trend?  Go into Whole Foods and look at the back ingredient label of a few of the chip and popcorn bags.  You're bound to find a whole bunch that use high-oleic safflower oil and sunflower oil that is non-GMO.  Or, even more popular right now-- organic sunflower and safflower oil.

If you happen to be a food manufacturer and you use these ingredients, I bet you've noticed a big trend in the last few weeks/months.  These oils are hard to come by right now, and in high demand!  If you're buying on the spot market outside of a contract right now, you may be hard pressed to find your ingredients.

You're probably wondering why this is happening and what's going on!  Good question.  We'll explain what's going on in the market right now.

If you have a fast-growing manufacturing business and you're still using a manual production line, this discussion is for you.  

We work with a number of large (and still growing!) customers and though they use a lot of oil in bulk, but they still purchase in 35 Lb. Containers.   Why? Because that's how their production line has been set up.  They know there's a better, cheaper way, but making the switch is a process-- and it can be a bit overwhelming.

They're working on making the switch, and you should too.  Here's why:

• The oil is cheaper.  Buying in bulk sizes like drums or totes can cut $0.02-$0.05 /lb off the oil instantly.
• With a system in place (pumps, hoses, etc.) the oil is so much easier to get out of the packaging and into your line
• You will have much less waste-- think of all those 35 Lbers no longer in your trash or recycling!

Quick Tips for purchasers and R&D personnel in the food manufacturing industry.

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a natural, fresh olive fruit juice. The taste profile and color can change significantly depending on the olives used, the harvest time, and many more factors.

To those of you that are new to the bulk ingredient buying world, evaluating and choosing ingredients for your new product can be a bit daunting.  But you're not alone-- small business owners, company founders and young ingredients puchasers have all been in your shoes.  

Making the switch to industrial totes for your bulk oil can be a big change.  Your production facility is going to be no longer "hands on".  A fork lift or a pallet jack is now going to be a vital part of your day.

Olive oil is touted all over the world as a healthy, good-for-you oil.  Benefits range from the prevention of cancer, heart disease and diabetes to lowering blood pressure to reducing levels of obesity.  They go on and on from there.

So what exactly is it in olive oil that makes it so healthy?  Well, there's a number of chemical compontents that do your body good.  But first it's important to understand...

Extra Virgin Is The Best Grade For You

In terms of the health benefits found in olive oil, Extra Virgin has far more of the good stuff than the lower grades.  Refined grades like Pure Olive Oil, Refined (Light) Olive Oil and Olive Pomace Oil are going to have less (or debatably, none) of the healthy-for-you components.  So let's look at the benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in particular.

Olive oil is known for being delicious-- perfect for Italian recipes, natural foods, sauteeing, cooking and (my favorite) Caprese salad.

But did you know that it's good for so many more things?  Things like:

• Natural skin & body care
• Your daily beauty regimen
• Home & garden care
• And much more

Here's 20 of our favorite uses for olive oil.