EU To Ban Olive Oil Bottles From Restaurants

Traditional glass jugs and dipping bowls will be replaced with pre-packaged factory bottles to help hygiene and avoid fraud.

The European Commission has declared that only non-refillable, pre-packaged factory bottles with tamperproof lids can be used from 2014.

It will end the practice of restaurants sourcing their own artisan products to be used in bottles and dipping bowls.

EU spokesman Olivier Bailly said the move is being initiated because consumers often get fooled by being served cheap olive oil.

"We are just making clear that when you want to have olive oil of a certain quality in a restaurant, you get exactly the one you are paying for," Mr Bailly said.

"We are just protecting consumers", he insisted as he added that the non-refillable bottles would also improve hygiene.

However the move has been criticised as further meddling by unelected bureaucrats.

"They should let the people decide what olive oil bottles they want to use and not dictate uniformity from the centre," Ukip MEP Paul Nuttall said.

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