69% of olive oils lie about their virginity

[twitchy2.0]

July 15, 2010

69 percent of imported olive oils in UC Davis study don't meet 'extra virgin' claims

A new UC Davis study confirmed what many experts already suspected: Most imported "extra virgin" olive oils are not what they claim to be.
In a first of its kind study by a U.S. academic institution, the UCD research team found that 69 percent of the imported oils sampled failed to meet internationally accepted standards for extra virgin olive oil. By comparison, only 10 percent of the California-produced oils in the test failed to meet those standards.

"Before this study, we had anecdotal reports of poor quality olive oil being sold as extra virgin," said Dan Flynn, executive director of UCD's Olive Center, part of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. "Now there is empirical proof. ... The oils that failed in our tests had defects such as rancidity. Many of these oils just did not taste good."

All 19 brands tested - 14 imported and five California-made - were purchased in March at supermarkets or big-box stores in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles counties. Three bottles of each brand from each location were tested. The findings, released today, and the names of the brands evaluated are available online at http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu.

Of the California-made brands tested, all bottles of Corto Olive, California Olive Ranch, McEvoy Ranch Organic and Lucero met the extra-virgin criteria.

Of the imports, only Kirkland Organic passed all the extra-virgin standards with samples from all three locations. Samples of Bertolli, Pompeian, Carapelli, Mezzetta and Mazola failed from all locations.

Working with Australian olive experts, the UCD scientists used USDA and international standards for evaluating extra virgin olive oil, considered the premium and most expensive on the market. By definition, extra virgin oil must be extracted from the olive without heat or solvent and meet specific criteria for quality, smell and taste.

But many of the oils tested did not meet those standards due to oxidation, adulteration with cheaper refined olive oil or poor-quality oils made from damaged and overripe olives, processing flaws or improper oil storage. Oxidation also may be caused by improper storage, including exposure to high temperatures and light as well as aging.

With rising interest in healthy cooking, the United States now represents the world's third largest market for olive oil.

Source: Appetizers: 69 percent of imported olive oils in UC Davis study don't meet 'extra virgin' claims

[Grimmlok]

I knew it. Fuck you, bertolli, and your stank ass oil.

[Janet296]

Those lying whores!!

[LynnieD]

Sluts!!!!

[NoDayButToday]

I love that the Costco brand is the one brand that matched the standards. Suck it to those who pick on Costco.

[greysfang]

Oh good, I use Lucero. I'm finding it hard to believe most people can't taste the difference in a cheap oil and a good one. Maybe folks just don't care.

[SVZ]

God....I fucking hate that companies can get away with this crap!

I bet the ingredients list on a lot of products are a lie too.

[nancydrew]

Fuck you Bertolli and Pompeian! Assholes.

[LynnieD]

I love that the Costco brand is the one brand that matched the standards. Suck it to those who pick on Costco.

Which one is the Costco brand?

[twitchy2.0]

I love that the Costco brand is the one brand that matched the standards. Suck it to those who pick on Costco.

Costco also tests meat trimmings for E. coli before grinding which makes me a lot more comfortable eating their hamburger.

"The retail giant Costco is one of the few big producers that tests trimmings for E. coli before grinding, a practice it adopted after a New York woman was sickened in 1998 by its hamburger meat, prompting a recall.

Craig Wilson, Costco’s food safety director, said the company decided it could not rely on its suppliers alone. “It’s incumbent upon us,” he said. “If you say, ‘Craig, this is what we’ve done,’ I should be able to go, ‘Cool, I believe you.’ But I’m going to check.”

Costco said it had found E. coli in foreign and domestic beef trimmings and pressured suppliers to fix the problem. But even Costco, with its huge buying power, said it had met resistance from some big slaughterhouses. “Tyson will not supply us,” Mr. Wilson said. “They don’t want us to test.”"Source

[SVZ]

Which one is the Costco brand?

Kirkland Organics

[LynnieD]

Thx SVZ....wish we had Costco here...bummer.

[MsChiff]

I doubt Popeye will ever find out or care.

groaner.. I know -lol

[cmmdee]

^

Costco is kinda cool, actually.

Don't hate.

You can even get your own coffin there, you know, prepartion for dying and all.

[Novice]

LOL! Its been in the euro-press for ages that there aren't enough olive trees to provide as much olive oil as is produced.