Recall in Germany: MOSH/MOAH in pomace oil — not olive oil

According to a notice on Germany's official food safety portal, high levels of MOSH and MOAH were found in an oil sold in shops serving Turkish consumers, and the product has been recalled.

The recalled product

The German authorities said a carcinogenic effect could not be excluded at the levels measured, and asked consumers not to use the product and to return it to the point of purchase.

⚠ This product is not olive oil

Headlines often call it "olive oil", but the recalled product is olive pomace oil. The two are separate categories: olive oil is extracted mechanically from the fruit, while pomace oil is obtained from the residue left after pressing, using solvents, and is then refined.

We set out the distinction in how to read an olive oil label. If the label says "pomace", the product is not extra virgin olive oil.

What MOSH and MOAH are

Both are mineral oil hydrocarbons — groups of compounds of crude-oil origin.

• MOSH (saturated): can accumulate in the body, particularly in liver and lymph tissue.
• MOAH (aromatic): may contain compounds capable of damaging genetic material and causing cancer, so their presence in food is treated as a health risk.

Contamination can come from lubricants in production machinery, packaging materials, transport and storage, or the environment. The notice gave no detail on the source in this case.

⚠ MOSH/MOAH risk arises particularly in oils that pass through solvent extraction and refining — which is why this recall concerns a pomace oil.