Michael Eppley, president of the
American Emu Association (AEA), advises consumers and resellers to beware of fraudulent products being sold as pure emu oil. Pure emu oil naturally contains Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. These important fatty acids provide natural, hypo-allergenic, anti-inflammatory qualities plus aid in moisturizing the skin. Because of its many benefits the demand for emu oil has increased significantly in the last few years, drawing the attention of many marketers.
Eppley cautions that the problem with adulterated or fraudulent emu oil is that it will not provide the same, all-natural benefits as real emu oil. Not only are consumers dissatisfied, because the product does not work as expected, but this unethical misrepresentation of pure emu oil hurts the integrity of the many legitimate sellers.
Some of these adulterated products may be derived from other oils that are less costly to acquire, then marketed as real emu oil. This process is known as misbranding and is banned by the FDA. Buyers are advised to be suspicious of emu oil that is not authenticated by testing. This testing should be conducted by an AOCS (American Oil Chemists' Society) accredited laboratory and the results should be compared to the standards set by the
Emu Oil Trade Rules for Fully Refined Grade A Emu Oil.
“The emu oil industry is not the only industry being affected by this problem,” stated Eppley. “Other oil industries, such as olive oil, have been plagued by imitators that try to pass themselves off as pure olive oil when in fact they are diluted with other oil products. The AEA followed their example in setting standards for our industry so that consumers would know when they are purchasing genuine emu oil.”
In late 2011, after being made aware of a possible problem, the AEA conducted a study of fifteen different samples of oils. The samples were purchased from various retailers including eBay. They contained nine samples of American emu oil and two samples of Australian emu oil. Two samples of ostrich oil, a sample of organic soybean oil, and one of canola oil were also tested for comparison purposes. After testing, at an independent laboratory, the results showed that only five of the eleven emu oil samples actually met the specifications for emu oil. The most surprising results were that the 6 other samples that were supposed to be emu oil were more similar in comparison to the ostrich, soybean and canola oil samples that were tested.
The conclusion of the study was that there is a problem with adulterated emu oil on the marketplace. The AEA board promptly responded by adding a fatty acid profile to the Emu Trade Oil Rules which will help differentiate between emu oil and other types of oils.Because of the findings, the AEA has updated their
AEA Certified Emu Oil Program. This program provides a way for sellers to validate their business and to prove that their emu oil is high quality. After approval sellers are allowed to use the trademarked AEA Certified Fully Refined® seal and corresponding verbiage in their marketing and on their labels. Use of the seal or verbiage offers sellers enhanced credibility and recognition as a reliable merchant who adheres to documented quality control standards and procedures. Plus their use offers the end consumer assurance that they are buying the highest quality of genuine emu oil.
Formed in 1989, the AEA is a national, non-profit agricultural association dedicated to the emu industry. The Association does not endorse any one method of refining emu oil; however, whatever method is used must result in an emu oil product that matches the fatty acid profile parameters for pure emu oil along with the other specifications of the Emu Oil Trade Rules.
The American Emu Association is located at 1201 W Main St Suite 2, Ottawa IL 61350. Further information may be obtained at
http://www.aea-emu.org, by calling 541-332-0675, or sending an email to info(at)aea-emu(dot)org. Both the verbiage "AEA Certified Fully Refined®" and the corresponding seal are registered trademarks of the AEA and can only be used by AEA members with board approval.
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