N.J. olive oil association suing Dr. Oz for segment alleging fake products

In May, Oz said that 'a shocking 80 percent' of the extra virgin olive oil in supermarkets 'isn't the real deal' Watch video

The olive oil people are not happy with Dr. Oz.

The Neptune-based North American Olive Oil Association, a trade group representing olive oil importers, packagers and marketers, has filed a lawsuit against Oz and Sony Pictures Television in superior court in Fulton County, Ga. 

In a statement that referred to Oz as an "embattled TV doctor," the association said Oz, 56, made "false attacks" about the "quality and integrity of olive oil" in supermarkets on "The Dr. Oz Show." The statement also claims a guest on his show called an olive oil expert had a conflict of interest. During the segment in question, which aired in May, Oz said that "a shocking 80 percent" of the extra virgin olive oil in supermarkets "isn't the real deal," with some possibly altered with coloring and cheaper oils. 

The olive oil association took exception to the claim, since it tests olive oils and maintains that 98 percent of olive oil sold at U.S. retail outlets is "real." It also took issue with Oz's guest, Maia Hirschbein, not being introduced as an employee of California Olive Ranch. The association alleges that "California olive oil special interests" have been working to advance the notion that many imported olive oils sold in the U.S. are not pure, which it claims has contributed to olive oil consumption leveling off nationwide after experiencing rapid growth from the '90s until 2012.  

Why file suit in Georgia? It's one of the states with a so-called food libel law, under which food industry groups can sue for disparaging comments about products that are not backed by factual evidence and damage business. But the law (see full text here) is mostly concerned with food safety -- Oz didn't say the olive oil, real or not, wasn't safe to eat. The association goes on to talk about consumers missing out on the health benefits of olive oil. 

"This case is particularly troubling because in many previous controversies Dr. Oz has recommended products with no proven benefits, but in this case his false and careless words have discouraged millions of people from using a product with scientifically demonstrated advantages," said Eryn Balch, executive vice president of the NAOOA, in the statement. The association also objected to Oz's reference to Hirschbein and the audience's taste and smell tests as opposed to lab tests. 

Oz, who lives in Cliffside Park and whose full name is Mehmet Oz, has hosted "The Dr. Oz Show" since 2009. He has often been criticized for his approach and the products he advocates on his show. In 2014, Sen. Claire McCaskill took Oz to task during a Senate hearing of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance. Oz told her he had modified his show's tone in response to criticism of his segments featuring weight loss supplements, but that companies often use his name and likeness without permission to promote their products.

Last year, Oz came under fire after a group of doctors wrote a letter to a dean at Columbia University, where he is a cardiovascular thoracic surgeon, calling for his termination and saying that he promotes "quack treatments." Columbia defended Oz's right to academic expression, but a group of Coumbia doctors later wrote an op-ed asking him to attach a disclaimer to his TV show making clear that Columbia does not endorse the content of the program.