ve oil in the world between 2000 and 2009 Country 2000 % 2005 % 2009 % Spain 962.400 38,2% 819.428 32,1% 1.199.200 41,2% Italy 507.400 20,1% 671.315 26,3% 587.700 20,2% Greece 408.375 16,2% 386.385 15,1% 332.600 11,4% Syria 165.354 6,6%

g olive oil that is appearing on USA grocery market shelves alongside the Mediterranean olive oils.[citation needed]

Major producers of olive oil in the world between 2000 and 2009
Country    2000    %    2005    %    2009    %
 Spain    962.400    38,2%    819.428    32,1%    1.199.200    41,2%
 Italy    507.400    20,1%    671.315    26,3%    587.700    20,2%
 Greece    408.375    16,2%    386.385    15,1%    332.600    11,4%
 Syria    165.354    6,6%    123.143    4,8%    168.163    5,8%
 Tunisia    115.000    4,6%    210.000    8,2%    150.000    5,2%
 Turkey    185.000    7,3%    115.000    4,5%    143.600    4,9%
 Morocco    40.000    1,6%    50.000    2,0%    95.300    3,3%
 Algeria    30.488    1,2%    34.694    1,4%    56.000    1,9%
 Portugal    25.974    1,0%    31.817    1,2%    53.300    1,8%
 Argentina    10.500    0,4%    20.000    0,8%    22.700    0,8%
 Lebanon    5.300    0,2%    6.800    0,3%    19.700    0,7%
 Jordan    27.202    1,1%    17.458    0,7%    16.760    0,6%
 Libya    6.000    0,2%    7.900    0,3%    15.000    0,5%
TOTAL    2.518.629    100,0%    2.552.182    100,0%    2.911.115    100%
[20] FAO
Regulation[edit]

Main article: Olive oil regulation and adulteration
Olive oil is classified by how it was produced, by its chemistry, and by panels that perform olive oil taste testing.[21]


International Olive Council building
The International Olive Council (IOC) — an intergovernmental organization based in Madrid, Spain, with 16 member states plus the European Union.[22] — promotes olive oil around the world by tracking production, defining quality standards, and monitoring authenticity. The IOC officially governs 95% of international production and holds great influence over the rest. The EU regulates the use of different protected designation of origin labels for olive oils.[23]
The United States is not a member of the IOC and is not subject to its authority, but on October 25, 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopted new voluntary olive oil grad