Popular television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz may be in hot water this month. The North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) has filed suit against Oz, Entertainment Media Ventures Inc., and ZoCo Productions LLC, objecting to the doctor’s claims that up to 80 percent of imported extra virgin olive oil sold in supermarkets may be fake.
The suit’s central claim is that Oz violated Georgia libel law when, during a May 12 episode of The Doctor Oz Show devoted to health issues, he stated that 80 percent of extra virgin oil “isn’t the real deal” and “may even be fake.” The NAOOA disputes these claims.
The New Jersey-based association filed its suit in state court in Fulton County, Georgia, where some members of the group conduct business, according to Reuters. The association is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and payment for its legal fees.
Georgia is one of 13 states in which food libel laws have a lower legal burden than traditional libel laws, laws that make it easier for food companies to sue those disparaging their products.
During the May 12 episode, entitled “Food Truth: What’s Really in Your Pancake Syrup,” Oz made the offending statements and featured guest Maia Hirschbein, introduced as a “certified oleologist.” The lawsuit alleges that Oz failed to disclose Hirschbein’s connection to California Olive Ranch, a private company in direct competition with foreign olive oil manufacturers.
In the episode, Oz also claimed that Italy had seized 7,000 tons of “fraudulent olive oil” bound for the U.S., a claim the NAOOA disputes. In the suit, the association states that none of the seized oil was found to have come from non-olive sources. The associations own testing, conducted from 2013 to 2015, suggested instead that 95 percent of the samples of imported oil met or exceeded quality and purity standards.
Oz has previously been criticized for statements made on his show. In 2014, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri chastised Oz’s promotion of a dietary supplement made from coffee bean extract that he claimed could help people lose weight without exercise or dietary changes. The FTA later determined that the company’s weight-loss claims were baseless and ordered them to pay $3.5 million in settlement charges.
For more developments as they occur, stay tuned to Deli Market News.
