Gaby
Whether you’re a Michelin-starred chef or a humble home cook, good olive oil often takes center stage in your kitchen.
However, food quality experts warn that the global olive oil market is flooded with counterfeit products. Some unscrupulous producers have started mixing their oils with cheaper fats, including those deemed unfit for human consumption.
That’s why it’s crucial to listen to experts who know what to look for when buying olive oil.
The Two Most Common Types of Fraud
Counterfeiting this product can take various forms, but two types are most commonly encountered.
The first involves producers taking lower-quality olive oil and passing it off as high-quality oil, specifically as extra virgin olive oil.
The second type often sees olive oil mixed with cheaper neutral oils, such as sunflower or canola oil, to make it more flexible.
Sometimes, dishonest manufacturers dye batches of high-quality oil with green chlorophyll and yellow carotenoids to make it look more appealing. While this coloring may not be a 100% counterfeit, it still constitutes an unacceptable deception for consumers.
Although most counterfeits are minor, some are carried out on an industrial scale by organized crime groups.
This July, Italian authorities confiscated 42 tons of counterfeit olive oil worth €900,000. During the same raid, police also discovered 71 tons of a “greasy substance” and 623 liters of chlorophyll.
How to Distinguish Real Olive Oil from Counterfeits
The only surefire way to know if olive oil is counterfeit is through laboratory testing. However, there are also non-laboratory methods to differentiate between a counterfeit and quality product, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Taste. One of the main indicators of authentic olive oil is its flavor. Experts assert that if it lacks taste, that’s a red flag.
Counterfeit oils tend to have little to no flavor, while genuine olive oil boasts a rich, complex taste.
Labeling on the Bottle. You can increase your chances of purchasing authentic olive oil by knowing that only high-quality extra virgin olive oil can legally bear the label “extra virgin.” But that’s not all. The bottle should also include the text: “Olive oil of superior category obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means.”
Producer and Region Name. In short, this information is essential. Generally, the more information on the label, the more reliable the product. This helps consumers trace the origin of the olive oil.
DOP Mark. Additionally, the bottle should bear a DOP seal, which protects the product’s origin and certifies that the oil was produced in a specific region. Furthermore, more reputable brands indicate the producer’s name and the exact area where the olives were grown, as well as the harvest date.
Third-Party Certification Approval. It’s also important to look for certifications from independent testing organizations that can guarantee the oil’s quality, such as NAOOA or COOC.
How Not to Test Olive Oil
One of the most popular methods is the refrigerator test. This method is often suggested by internet bloggers. They claim that you can distinguish real olive oil from counterfeit by placing a small sample of the product in the refrigerator overnight. Supposedly, if the olive oil is genuine, it will thicken or become jelly-like in the fridge, while counterfeit oil mixed with cheaper oils will remain liquid.
In reality, if olive oil is diluted with a small amount of another vegetable oil, such a counterfeit can thicken in cold conditions.
Meanwhile, Spanish olive oil expert Alexis Kerner asserts that the refrigerator test doesn’t work because not all olive oils solidify in the cold. According to Ms. Kerner, “all types of olive oil have a unique composition.” Some varieties freeze, while others do not.
