Post by guest blogger Kellie Stoddard!
You thought you were making an informed health choice by using extra-virgin olive oil in place of cheaper, low-quality cooking oils, right? Think again… Your Olive Oil is probably fake!
It's what we expect as shoppers—what's in the food will be displayed on the label. But a new scientific examination by the non-profit food fraud detectives the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), discovered rising numbers of fake ingredients in products from olive oil to spices to fruit juice.
"Food products are not always what they purport to be," said Markus Lipp, senior director for Food Standards for the independent lab in Maryland. In a new database USP warns consumers, the FDA and manufacturers that the amount of food fraud they found is up by 60 percent this year.
Authentic extra-virgin olive oil takes a lot of time, expense, and labor to make. On the flip side, it’s quick, cheap, and easy to doctor it. Adulterated olive oil has become the biggest source of agricultural fraud problems in the European Union. While less than 10% of world olive oil production meets the criteria for labeling as extra-virgin, it has been estimated that up to 50% of retail oil is labeled "extra-virgin". Some oil labeled "extra-virgin" is diluted with cheaper olive oils or other vegetable oils. In some cases, lampante, or "lamp oil," which is made from spoiled olives fallen from trees, is used, even though it can't legally be sold as food. One fraud ring is accused of coloring low-grade soy oil and canola oil with industrialchlorophyll, and flavoring it with beta-carotene. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't routinely test imported olive oil for adulteration, and some products are difficult to test.
How can you tell if your oil’s fake?
First, extra-virgin olive oil ought to be comprised of mostly monounsaturated fat that grows more solid when cold. If you put a real extra-virgin olive oil in the refrigerator, it ought to become thick and cloudy as it cools completely (some oils made from high-wax olive varieties will even solidify). It should be noted, however, that this is not a fail-proof test. That’s because adulterated oils may also become thick and cloudy in the refrigerator. After all, some adulterated extra-virgin olive oils are cut with low-grade, refined olive oil. Those would still clump up. Other adulterated extra-virgin olive oils are cut with just enough of the cheaper oils that they’ll still be mostly olive oil, so they’ll have some clumping, too. If, however, the oil you put in the fridge fails to thicken at all (still appearing as clear and runny as it did at room temperature), then you know something certain: that it’s fake!
Second, extra-virgin olive oil ought to be flammable enough to keep an oil lamp burning. Again, this isn’t a fail-proof test, and for the same reasons. But, it is certain that if your so-called “extra virgin olive oil” doesn’t keep a wick burning, it isn’t extra-virgin at all, but instead contains refined oils.
So what can you do? Buy locally. Buy from a farmer you can get to know and trust, and you’ll be set. If you can't find a local farm www.foodrenegade.com has websites that sell authentic olive oil.
(side note from me, Ashlie... If you are feeling overwhelmed right now, don't. The point of this blog is to inform you so you can make educated decisions. You don't need to make all those decisions at once. It will take time for you to make all the changes you want to in your kitchen. Buy organic olive oil, wild salmon, local produce, etc if you can. You are allowed to take baby steps and do one thing at a time. At the very least, realize from all these posts that the only person looking out for your health and the health of your family is you! Unfortunately you cannot count on these food industries to lead us in the right direction. Ok, I'll shut up now.)
This information was taken from
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