📜 Protected olive oil and olive names
Olive oils and olives whose names are protected in the EU by place of origin.
Protected olive oil and olive names are names that, in the EU, only a product from a specific area made to an approved specification may carry: a protected designation of origin (PDO) or a protected geographical indication (PGI).
According to the EU register eAmbrosia, as of 20 October 2026 there were 146 registered olive oil names (121 PDO and 25 PGI) and 26 table olive names (24 PDO and 2 PGI). Italy has the most olive oil names, 51, followed by Spain (36) and Greece (33); France has 9, Portugal 6, Croatia 5 and Turkey 4. Among table olives Greece leads with 10 names, France has 6, and Turkey and Italy 4 each.
Another 11 names are going through registration. The first mass registration of PDOs and PGIs in the EU came with Regulation No 1107/96 of 12 June 1996, and Kalamata olive oil has been protected since 1997. The section also has Kalamata olives, a separate name for table fruit.
Some names are shared by more than one country: Istra is registered jointly by Croatia and Slovenia. Other examples include Riviera Ligure in Italy, Baena in Spain, Sitia Lasithiou Kritis on Crete, Azeite de Trás-os-Montes in Portugal and Aydın Memecik olive oil in Turkey.
On an extra virgin or virgin label, a PDO or PGI name can stand in for the usual statement of origin. The international IOC standard allows a designation of origin for extra virgin oil only.
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Frequently asked questions
How many protected olive oil names are there in the EU?
According to the eAmbrosia register on 20 October 2026, 146: 121 protected designations of origin (PDO) and 25 geographical indications (PGI). Table olives have another 26 registered names, and 11 more names are awaiting registration.
Is it true that only EU countries have protected olive names?
No. Turkey has 4 olive oil names and 4 table olive names in the EU register. Of the 183 registered and applied-for names in total, 12 come from non-EU countries, Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Which country has the most protected olive oil names?
Italy, with 51 names. Spain (36) and Greece (33) follow, while Greece leads among table olives with 10 names.
Since when have olive oil names been protected in the EU?
The first mass registration of PDOs and PGIs came with Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 of 12 June 1996. Kalamata olive oil has held PDO status since 1997.
Similar
🧪 Olive and olive oil composition and health · 🏛️ The olive in culture and history · 🌳 Olive trees, groves and famous trees · 🏭 Olive harvest and the oil mill · 🫒 Olive oil · 🫒 Olive cultivars
Sources
- European Commission — eAmbrosia, EU geographical indications register (olive oils and table olives; snapshot 20.10.2026)
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 on the registration of geographical indications and designations of origin
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 on marketing standards for olive oil, Art. 8
- IOC. Trade Standard Applying to Olive Oils and Olive Pomace Oils, COI/T.15/NC No. 3/Rev. 22 (2026)