Photo
from Olive Oil Times
Dr. Oz Lifts
the Curtain on Olive Oil Fraud, but Refrigerator Test is “Ruby Slippers” Lore
by Colleen McCall
Another Oprah Winfrey success story, Dr. Mehmet Oz,
delivers a daily dose of sound health advice via his widely-followed network
television show. In a recent four-part
series, Oz “lifted the curtain” on supermarket fraud revealing that 65 percent
of the food he dubs “youth in a bottle” -- extra virgin olive oil -- is
phony. It is now widely known that true
extra virgin olive oil (“EVOO”), the cornerstone of the Mediterranean Diet, has
a range of important health benefits.
The February 11th show featured Dan Flynn,
director of the U.C. Davis Center for Olive Research and Shaun Kennedy,
director of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense. Kennedy indicated that many of the imports
on grocery shelves aren’t even olive oil and instead are cheap alternatives
such as sunflower, hazelnut or industrial oil dressed up as EVOO to capitalize
on the profitable United States market.
Dr. Oz was stunned that fake EVOO sales are as profitable as
cocaine. Of course, it is much cheaper
to produce than cocaine and the penalties for violation very minor in
comparison.
Flynn, whose organization conducted recent testing
that found 65 percent of the oils failed to meet extra virgin standards, offered
the following tips when purchasing olive oil:
·
Purchase in (or
transfer to) a dark glass (or metal)
container*
·
Store away from light and heat
·
Locate a harvest date on the bottle (or verify when purchasing in bulk) and
purchase within 15 months of that date
·
Look for a quality seal like one from the California
Olive Oil Council certifying that the oil has passed chemical analysis and
objective tasting criteria.
·
Check the production site on the packaging because oil
is often produced in one country and packaged in another (e.g., produced in
Tunisia and bottled in Italy is not “Italian EVOO”).
Dr. Oz’s own test for determining if an olive oil is extra
virgin – verifying that it solidifies in the refrigerator- is not, however, a
good measure of extra virgin quality.
The North American Olive Oil Association called the home refrigeration
test “completely false and misleading.” Certain
factors can affect whether an oils solidifies under refrigeration such as olive
variety and harvest time. Many quality EVOOs
will not coagulate when refrigerated, but they still offer great taste and
tremendous health benefits. Even some olive oils that are adulterated will
solidify under refrigeration.
Dan Flynn agrees that the refrigerator method is not
reliable. “While it is true that refined oils will not coagulate in the cold,
it is also true that some olive oil varieties will not coagulate either.” In
addition, the test will not tell a consumer if the EVOO tastes good.
Olive oil education is widely available today from
producers and independent retailers.
With fraud profitable and rampant, ensuring that you are getting a true
extra virgin olive oil has never been more important.
*Parenthetical added by author
Colleen McCall is the General Manager of We Olive
Ventura, a retail store on Main Street specializing in COOC-certified extra
virgin olive oils.