FAQ’s

We recommend our customers to always go by the “best by date” printed on the cans and jars. Our olives “best by date” dictates how good our olives are “before opening”. For best quality, we recommend that you refrigerate your Mario products and use within 14 days of opening. After opening, it is best to store them in a covered container and kept in their liquid to ensure the best quality.

There may be times during the automated pitting process when an olive will be missed due to its softer texture and the pit remains inside. Although this may happen, it does not affect the quality of your olives.

It is a critical component used in the manufacturing of most coatings in cans. These cans comply with direct food contact regulatory requirements worldwide. Packaging that comes into contact with food must undergo strict testing and comply with US Food and Drug Administration requirements before use. The Bisphenol-A, or BPA, in our cans meets the strict standards set by the European Union. The European Union standards are even higher than those set by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Occasionally, white spots can be seen on the Spanish olives which come from naturally occurring yeast that adds to the Spanish flavor. These olives are safe to eat!

We don’t use any milk or nut products to make our black ripe olives. Although, some of our stuffed Spanish olives do contain nuts and cheese. These are produced separately, and the equipment is thoroughly sanitized between each run of these stuffed olives to avoid cross contamination. The Lactic Acid that we use to produce Mario olives is not animal or dairy based.  We use organic lactic acid naturally found in olives produced during the fermentation process as similar to the fermentation process when making wine.

No, sulfites are not present in our Mario olive products although some of our Mario peppers do contain a small amount of sulfites.

Ferrous gluconate is water soluble iron salt combined with a reduced sugar acid. It is used to fix and stabilize the black color on the olive. The iron reacts with the tannins in the olive skin and helps to hold the black color. Lindsay Crafted do not use ferrous gluconate which produces a chocolate brown olive. There are no allergens, glutens or proteins in ferrous gluconate, even though it’s from a corn or potato acid.

Guar Gum is an extract from the guar bean. It is industry standard to be used to make the minced pimiento you find in some stuffed olives. Guar gum is perfectly safe to eat, and it is a thickener that’s widely and often used in foods you eat every day.

Yes, our products are both gluten free and Non GMO. Our Black Ripe Olives do contain Ferrous Gluconate, which is used to stabilize the color. Ferrous Gluconate comes from corn and is not related to gluten.

Pasteurization refers to the heating or cooking of products to a specified temperature during a specific time lapse to ensure that common pathogens do not grow inside jarred products like Mario Olives. Mario Ripe Olives undergo a sterilization process, which is slightly different than pasteurization. Sterilization also involves the heating or cooking of products to a specified temperature and time to prevent common pathogens. Pasteurization and sterilization applications are based on the products pH levels. Pasteurization typically occurs with products that have high acidity levels (low pH levels) while sterilization is most common with products with a neutral pH.

We recommend returning your Mario product to the retail store you purchased from along with your original receipt.