SIQEV Emerges as the Credibility Standard for Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Created in February 2013 with a firm commitment to excellence, QvExtra! International has become a reliable, solid reference for extra virgin olive oil worldwide. “We are convinced that only by promoting excellence can the sector be energized.” To this end, the association created the Seal International Quality Extra Virgin (SIQEV). This seal—born from an agreement among producers, experts, and consumers—certifies that any product bearing it meets strict quality requirements that exceed current EU regulations. With this standard, consumers are assured that the bottle contains an outstanding extra virgin olive oil, verified through an external audit system conducted on retail shelves by the international certification company SGS at the product’s best-before date.

For its part, the Consortium for the Guarantee of Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (CEQ Italia), founded in 2001, certifies Italian extra virgin olive oil with collective labeling based on quality, analytical, and organoleptic standards that are far stricter than those required for the extra virgin category. Over more than 20 years, CEQ has carried out numerous communication campaigns, training courses for operators, production specifications, and public-awareness events on the benefits of producing and consuming certified, high-quality extra virgin olive oils.

Sharing a clear commitment to promoting excellence, both associations—which currently certify nearly 5 million bottles annually—have decided to unify the seal’s image and the self-monitoring system carried out by SGS on international retail shelves. In this way, they aim to efficiently convey to consumers the importance of a certification that, while respecting different origins, guarantees extra virgin olive oils with excellent nutritional and sensory properties. Both associations also hope other countries will join the project to jointly advocate for recognition of a high-quality international seal—one that helps consumers recognize the distinctive value of these oils and encourages producers to commit to making them because that value is recognized.