Bars, restaurants and other catering establishments in Spain now have to provide olive oil in small, sealed and officially brand labelled containers or face fines ranging from €600 to €600,000.
The Royal Decree was approved in November 2013 but catering establishments were given until February 28th 2014 to comply with the new regulations. As from March 1st, the new law came into effect ‘with vigour’.
One of the problems facing restaurants has been that the purchasing of olive oil in smaller containers, rather than in bulk and refilling the bottles, has meant that it is far more expensive.
The measure is part of a Europe-wide plan to make the olive oil more competitive.