News Taffy

Wow! Just when you thought you were doing something healthy, it turns out you’ve been fooled all along. My husband took a trip to New York City last week and during the course of a food tour, learned that most of the olive oil sold anywhere in the world is not 100 percent pure olive oil. Although this is not breaking news, it doesn’t seem to be widespread knowledge. I’ve been doing some research on the subject and read articles going back to 2008. As much as I read about food and watch TV and internet news, I’ve never come across this information. It makes me feel like part of the fraud since I’ve encouraged others to use olive oil as much as possible for its health benefits.

So, what’s the scoop? Olive oil is big business with Americans buying some $700 million annually. It seems that olive oil is difficult, time consuming and expensive to make, therefore it is very common to mix extra virgin olive oil with a lower grade olive oil or even other oils such as canola or fish oils. As much as 70 to 90 percent of the “olive oil” you buy may be other oils, even nut or soy oils. Worse, companies are not required to reveal just what is in their olive oil. If you have a food allergy, you could be in trouble if you get the wrong olive oil.

What to do? Keep these facts in mind when you are shopping for olive oil. Olive oil deteriorates over time, so look for the harvest date or best by date and don’t buy anything over two years old. NEVER buy olive oil in a clear glass or plastic bottle as it oxidizes and goes rancid faster. Look for olive oil in a dark bottle or tin. Buy only extra virgin, never “light,” as it is the lowest quality oil.

To help ensure that you are getting real olive oil, look for an estate name on the label, a USDA organic seal or the International Olive Oil Council certification. Interestingly, California olive oils are less likely to be adulterated, so look for those. Expect to pay a premium price; I saw a 17 ounce bottle for $25 online.

Companies have been known to doctor inferior oils with all manners of ingredients to make it look or smell authentic, so don’t pay attention to color, the words “first cold pressed” or “product of Italy." The last phrase only means the product was packaged and shipped from Italy, but the oil itself could be from anywhere. It can be difficult for experts to figure out if an oil is authentic even with tests. Most grocery store brands aren’t pure olive oil, including but not limited to Bertolli, Filippo Berio, Newman’s Own or Rachel Ray.

The food and drug administration should require all foods to be labeled appropriately so that people understand what they are buying. My advice is to be careful if you have food allergies and perhaps stick to canola oil if you can’t be sure you are buying pure olive oil. Other oils have health benefits as well as olive oil, but we should have truth in advertising.

Until next week,
Lisa