Extra virgin olive oil

I read with interest Natalino Fenech's report "Huge demand for Maltese olive oil" (October 15) and note Sammy Cremona's statement that "refined olive oils have hardly 20 per cent olive oil in them, even though they claim to be extra virgin olive oil".

I was wondering how come the producers of prestigious brands of olive oil who export to Malta or the importers of these extra virgin olive oils have not yet enlightened us customers whether what we are paying for at anything between Lm1.35 and Lm3 per litre is really just one-fifth olive oil and four-fifths other oils of source unknown and undeclared on the bottle.

It seems to me that if they do not take up Mr Cremona on his statement, they will be admitting to his claim.

If, according to Mr Cremona, olive oil adulterated to the tune of four times its volume, is referred to as extra virgin, how is the gentleman going to refer to the 100 per cent olive oil he produces? What is the superlative of extra virgin?

Incidentally, I have seen on the market bottles of "olive oil mix". I wonder what is really put into them!