Some "extra virgin" olive oil is mixed with cheaper oils or past its prime
Do this instead
- Look for a harvest date on the bottleFresher is better. Olive oil loses quality within about two years.
- Choose dark glass or tinsLight speeds up spoilage.
- Be wary of very cheap "extra virgin" oilReal extra virgin oil costs more to make.
The short version
CFIA tests oils for fraud every year. A decade of its olive oil results showed a third of samples didn't meet standards, some because they were mixed with sunflower or canola oil. More recent tests found other pricey oils, like coconut and sesame, failed even more often.
The evidence
CFIA data obtained by CBC's L'épicerie covered 550 olive oil samples from 140 brands over ten years. 33% didn't meet quality standards. Some contained other vegetable oils, and some labelled extra virgin were rancid or past date.[1]
In 2020–21, 6 of 49 olive oil samples (12.2%) failed CFIA testing. Other expensive oils did worse: 22 of 65 failed, including 8 of 13 coconut oils and 6 of 23 sesame oils.[2]
Spot an error or have newer test results? Email corrections@doctorsoni.ca and we'll review it. How we decide verdicts