We’ve all read about the benefits of olive oil and the Mediterranean diet. Greek and Italians supposedly bathe in it (ok, douse their food in it), as well as many of the longest-living people in the world in the Blue Zones (who live longer, happier and healthier than the rest of us, so they must be doing something right!) And loads of studies out there will tell you it’s not only their Mediterranean (social) lifestyle, and not only the diet that’s filled with fish and vegetables, but the olive oil. But what’s the truth about olive oil?

First, let’s talk about why olive oil is so amazing. It’s one of the healthiest fats out there, and is filled with what are called MUFAS (monounsaturated fats), which have been shown to have huge benefits for reducing the risk of heart disease, improving skin and brain health, and have heavy anti-inflammatory activity from antioxidants, primarily the oleic acid, the main MUFA in olive oil, which has been proven to help fight free radical damage and oxidative stress. Did you know olive oil is just a fresh fruit juice? Olives aren’t actually nuts, they’re drupes (stone fruit), and olive oil is made from the juice of the olive fruit. The more peppery the taste, the more polyphenols (plant compounds) are in the oil, and the more health benefits you’ll find.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a few years back that big food companies and olive oil producers know this exactly, and have been trying to sell you cheap, fake, olive oil, as an unknowing, unsuspecting consumer. There’s even an organized crime group in Italy called the “Agromafia” committing rampant olive oil fraud, which makes the mob big money by exporting imitation olive oil to consumers. (60 Minutes) What you see is not necessarily what you get when it comes to olive oil.

And as it turns out, the bottle you bought off the shelf might be a complete scam. 

Woah, hold up. What? Fake olive oil?

A lot of the time, tou’re not getting what you pay for. Tons of companies out there will cut the real olive oil with cheaper oils like sunflower oil, vegetable oil, and other stuff..which might not necessarily be bad on your own, but 1) it’s false labeling and 2) that’s not what you’re paying the big bucks for, is it? 

In today’s post I’m breaking down the myths vs. facts about olive oil.

What’s real, what’s not? What do the different marketing and processing techniques mean, like cold pressed vs. cold extracted? Do you have to go organic? What about the harvest date vs. best before date? What is real olive oil supposed to taste like? How can you seek out a high quality one at a regular grocery store? What does “extra virgin” mean? Does the color or material of the bottle matter? 

Now, let me preface this by saying I am NOT an olive oil expert. There are people who spend their entire years studying and cultivating olive oil. I’m just a consumer who is trying to be more informed…who has a background and Masters’ in Nutrition Science and really loves researching (and not being duped by companies).

This isn’t some crazy conspiracy theory either. Apparently it’s been happening for a long time (like thousands of years, literally dating back to Roman times), all around the world, and it’s due to a combination of bad governmental oversight, false statements in labeling, production, and shipping practices, and “underfunded or corrupt food inspection agencies”, according to Forbes. Companies will not only cut olive oil with cheaper oils, but even bottles that say “Made in Italy” (or Spain, Greece, etc.), the oil is probably produced somewhere much cheaper, then sent to that country to say it could be produced there, since it was the location of bottling that determines the ‘origin’ placed on the label. And apparently they can get away with this ish for the reasons stated above. 

In 2010, UC Davis published a detailed report into olive oil authenticity (linked here). They found that over two-thirds (69% exactly) of the extra virgin olive oil for sale in California grocery stories was not, in fact, extra virgin, or authentic.

WTF, right? So what’s a consumer to do?

First. The next time you’re buying an olive oil bottle, turn it over and learn how to read labels for what matters. There are a lot of misleading labels in olive oil! The more transparency, the better. 

WHAT LABELS MEAN:

“Extra Virgin” Olive Oil (EVOO): Extra virgin is the purest form of olive oil, and there are many tests that the oils must undergo to be legally labelled as extra virgin (for omega-3 content, oxidation, to make sure the oil hasn’t been exposed to too much heat and light, and that it hasn’t been cut with cheaper seed oils). Unfortunately, in the states, the standards are much lower than in other countries, and the FDA doesn’t require any testing on imported olive oils. So you can get things that are fraudulently labelled as extra virgin in grocery stores in the US, where the oils actually come from damaged fruit and have defects in the oil – it can be old, rancid, fermented, etc. (and just bleh!) (Nicholas Coleman, Oleologist)

To be true EVOO, an olive oil must have an acidity of less than or equal to 0.8%, and have “no sensory defects as judged by a panel of certified, technical olive oil tasters.  So it doesn’t mean that it necessarily tastes exceptional, just that it’s not riddled with defects,” according to Nicholas Coleman, who is an Oleologist and international olive oil expert.

Ideally, 0.2% or 0.3% is best. Anything over 0.8% is not true extra virgin olive oil, and you shouldn’t be paying top dollar for it. Unfortunately, many grocery store bottles do not list acidity, so you may have to do some digging online to find that out. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Blend”: the oil has been blended with something else, that actually makes it NOT “extra virgin”. There should also not be any omega-3’s in olive oil unless it has been cut by a cheaper oil, like canola. 

“Virgin” Olive Oil: means the oil is produced by chemical processes (grinding, pressing, spinning). “Virgin” doesn’t mean anything in terms of the purity or authenticity. 

“Light” or “Pure” Olive Oil = not 100% olive oil. Often used for frying, and this stuff is not even allowed to be sold in Europe, but you can find it in the states. “Light” just means that it’s been refined and deodorized, so there is less color, less flavor, and less health benefits because it has all been removed in processing. And they’re most likely using bad olives or bad (rancid) oils to make it, too. It could be 70% seed oil and 30% olive oil – it just means there is less olive oil in it! (Tom Mueller & Gastropod)

Cultivars: this means the types of olives that were used in making the oil

“Cold pressed” is a method of making olive oil that is extremely outdated. (Yep, I was duped by this one too). Manufacturers and producers used to cold press oil using hydraulic presses, back when there was a distinction between the first (cold) press and second (hot) press – but this process is way outdated and it’s now just a marketing tool. There is not “hot press” of extra virgin olive oil, and there is no “second pressing” either (Forbes)

Filtered vs. Unfiltered: Higher quality oils are filtered (unfiltered goes rancid faster because there is a higher water content). Another term for filtered is “cold-extracted”, which produces a much higher quality oil, and a much longer shelf life.

**In all modern olive oil processing facilities, ALL olive oil is first pressed AND cold-pressed. So it’s really just a marketing term.

Expiration date: this is usually 2 years after the oil in the bottle was harvested. The further away that date is from today, the fresher the bottle is.

Harvest date: even better than the expiration date. Olive oil is best when it’s freshest, so buy as close to the harvest date as possible. Buying an oil within a few months of the harvest date is best. 

Unlike wine, olive oil doesn’t age well – and it actually degrades with age. It’s best consumed within a 2-3 month period; you don’t want to keep it for a year. 

What should it taste like? High quality olive oil will have a peppery, tingly feeling, which means there is a higher amount of polyphenols and antioxidants. Younger olives have more health benefits. (in terms of age, green —> purple —> black) 

Do I need to buy organic? Just like many small farms, many olive growers in Italy, Greece, etc. do not have the money to get an organic certification, though their olives flourish without any use of pesticides. You can’t go wrong with an organic certification, and it’s probably a best practice to buy organic for anything produced or sold in the US, but just because a smaller olive family farm doesn’t have an Organic certification, it doesn’t mean they’re using pesticides. Again, talk to your (olive) farmer! 

HOW TO USE IT.

Yes, you can cook with olive oil….

 Olive oil has a smoke point of 400F. Despite what we’ve been scared to believe, it’s actually a pretty stable fat because it’s 15% saturated (meaning the chemical bonds are single-carbon chains). However, olive oil in its uncooked, unheated state will yield the most health benefits. So while you could cook with it and not have to worry about oxidative damage (which is what happens when you cook unstable fats like seed oils beyond their smoke point, they become rancid and can cause inflammation in the body), you’re going to get more bang for your buck using olive oil more as a dressing than as a cooking fat. 

…but it’s better eaten raw, or uncooked, for maximum taste and health benefits.

If you want to cook with it, you can use one olive oil for cooking, which will essentially neutralize the health benefits, and one extra virgin olive oil for finishing, to pour on raw and get the most health benefits.

Use the oil quickly! Buy a bottle size that you will use up within a few months. Remember, olive oil doesn’t age well, and olive oil is basically just fruit juice – you want that to be as fresh as possible when you eat it. Don’t wait for a special occasion. Eat it every day and enjoy! 

Store it in a cool, dark, environment away from the stove and sunlight. I.e. not on your kitchen counter next to the oven. The absolute best temperature to store 56 degrees F (in a wine fridge if you’re fancy!)

What to look for on labels:

• A third party verification that defines certain quality standards, like the California Olive Oil Council Certification Seal, PDO/DOP (meaning the oil comes from a Protected Designation of Origin in Italy, similar to DOC or DOCG for wine) or AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) from France
• The bottle has a harvest date (no more than a year ago), not a best-before date
• Buy a dark, colored, glass bottle – not clear or plastic. Colored, glass bottles protect the oil from being oxidized (aka going bad faster) by heat or light. Plastic bottles may contribute a plastic-like flavor to the oil (ew!)
• A single-origin olive oil that isn’t a blend from multiple countries. Look for where the oil was produced specifically, not an oil that says something like “Product of Italy” which could have been produced all over the world and bottled in Italy.
• Olive cultivars – what varieties were used in creating this bottle?
• Filtered or cold-extracted oil 
• Taste your olive oil alone and see if it’s good! 

Which to buy (these have all been 3rd party tested!) 

*These are only brands that I have tried, vetted, and liked! I’ll continue to update the list as time goes on.

Buy these in Stores:

• 365 Everyday Value 100% Californian Unfiltered from Whole Foods
• Bellucci Organic 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Bono Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (at Whole Foods)
• California Olive Ranch 
• Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the cheapest in bulk, though it is in a plastic bottle)
• La Tourangelle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Trader Joe’s Premium 100% Greek Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Trader Joe’s California Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Buy these online:

• Ancient Foods – Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil (produced by a family I know!)
• Kasandrinos Organic Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Avoid these, which did not meet quality standards:

• Carapelli
• Colavita
• Filippo Berio
• Mazzola
• Mezzetta
• Newman’s Own

RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Marco Oreggia’s Flos Olei guides to the extra virgin olive oils 
• Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, by Tom Mueller
• California Olive Oil Tasting Council – 3rd party group that certifies all CA-based olive oil.
• Gastropod: Green Gold – Our Love Affair with Olive Oil
• The Genius Life: How to Buy the Best Extra-Virgin Olive Oil with Nicholas Coleman
• The Wall Street Journal: 7 Myths and Facts about Olive Oil
• The New York Times: Extra Virgin Suicide (Infographic)
• Official Index of the World’s Top Quality Olive Oils
• Consumer Reports: Extra Virgin Olive Oil Ratings
• Which Olive Oil To Buy & The Olive Oil Fraud

What other questions do you have on the truth about olive oil? What’s your favorite kind?