Mercedes Fernández Albaladejo

Head of the Standardization & Research Unit, International Olive Council | Madrid, Spain

Mercedes Fernández Albaladejo works for the executive secretariat of the International Olive Council (IOC), the United Nations-brokered international commodity organization for olives and olive oil. After qualifying and working as a doctor, she joined the IOC where she was initially in charge of overseeing IOC-funded scientific research. Since 2005, she has headed the Standardization and Research Unit, which is responsible for developing and updating standards and methods for the physicochemical and sensory analysis of olive products in partnership with experts and specialist agencies and for harmonizing product standards in line with the objectives of the International Olive Oil and Table Olive Agreement. The focus of her work is on quality control, fair international trading, consumer rights protection, and fraud prevention. She liaises actively with international standards agencies and participates as a speaker in international congresses and seminars besides writing publications and articles on olive oil and table olives. (Madrid, Spain)