The media is abuzz with news about USDA standards for extra virgin olive oil and the recently released research report from the University of California Davis. The initial research found that more than 69% of imported olive oils, and 10% of California olive oil sold in California supermarkets and big box retailers as “extra virgin” failed to meet the internationally-accepted standards yet is mislabeled as extra virgin olive oil.
In other words consumers are buying extra virgin olive oil for its quality and attendant health benefits and not getting what they pay for. It is rather like buying beef tenderloin and getting chuck roast.
Do not despair, there is a large selection of real extra virgin olive oils in a range of prices available in specialty retail, grocery, supermarkets and online.
But how does the consumer know? Rest assured the consumer does not need to be scientist or taste expert.
We asked our experts, Linda Sikorski, head buyer at Market Hall Foods. Linda has been evaluating and buying olive oil for over 25 years. And our prepared foods coordinator, Sandy Sonnenfelt, is a frequent judge at olive oil competitions and is a trained olive oil taste panelist. She serves on the panels for both the California Olive Oil Council and the UC Davis Olive Center.
Here are their tips to the consumer when facing shelves and rows of olive oil from around the world---Europe, North Africa, Chile, Australia, and California:
It is about TASTE and education.
There are organoleptic tests by highly trained taste panels that detect flaws—flaws that would keep an olive oil from extra virgin status. An olive oil from the current harvest very well may meet the chemical standards but have negative characteristics that are only detected by taste. To be truly extra virgin, the olive has to pass these taste tests
Rancidity is one of the major culprits—an oil that has been exposed to heat or light or is simply old. So what was once a delicious fruity, pungent extra virgin olive oil last year, may have been stored improperly, been too long on the store shelves or when once home, open too long, sitting next to the stove.
Here are tips for the consumer:
Check the label! Does it say Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Is there a harvest date in addition to the best use date? Is the harvest date within 12 months? Extra virgin oil is “best used” within 18 months, but then the consumer takes it home. Linda wants to make sure the customer is getting an oil well in advance of the best used date. Plus after 12 months, it is time for the new harvest!
Does the label tell you where the olives were grown and milled, is it an estate olive oil, a recognized indicator, often, of quality
What about the bottle? Is the bottle dark to cut down on light exposure? Is the bottle on the top shelf exposed to direct light? Light dramatically shortens shelf life. Is the bottle dusty? How long has it been on the shelf?
THE SEAL! Look for the California Olive Oil Council seal! This is the consumers’ assurance that the olive oil is extra virgin and grown in California. To earn the seal, the olive oil must pass the various chemical analysis standards and be taste tested by the highly trained taste panel.
Know your retailer! Buy from retailers you know care properly for the oil, the producers, growers, and importers. And ask for a taste. Specialty retailers are generous with sampling as they want the customer to know what they are buying.
There are so many styles and varieties of extra virgin olive oil, taste many and decide for yourself what you prefer. Only you can know what you like and how you are using the extra virgin olive oil.
What about online buying? Check for the harvest date and always buy from the most recent harvest. Ask before your complete the purchase. The better online sites will not ship when weather is an issue. Heat is the enemy of olive oil!
Lastly, store your extra virgin olive oil from light, air, and heat. And use it up once it is open.
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