Be choosy about where your purchase your olive oil – some are not what they claim to be on the bottle label.
Food experts are predicting 2019 to be a bad year for fraudulent olive oils flooding the market. Bad weather and the spread of a bacteria that kills olive trees in Europe has resulted in years of bad harvests but none quite so devastating as this year.
Italy, for one, has seen roughly 50 per cent of its crop destroyed.
“Overall, there are less olives out there,” says Dalhousie food expert Sylvain Charlebois. “Inventories are low. And it makes for a tempting scenario for companies who do want to commit food fraud.”
Extra virgin is most often targeted because of its higher price point and a loose definition of what constitutes a true “extra virgin” olive oil. The term refers to the oil taken from the first pressing of the olives.
Last year, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture reported 60 per cent of the product it tested was not true to what was on the label with some brands actually found to be 85 per cent soybean oil.
Other countries most associated with growing olives — notably Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal — have had similar problems.
The Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) runs the only lab in Canada accredited by the International Olive Oil Council. They’re watching the market closely and are conducting extensive testing in response to worldwide shortages in product mixed with high demand.
Drolet, Mike. “Consumers are being warned to be on the lookout for fake olive oil.” Global News, Corus News, 21 February 2019, https://globalnews.ca/news/4979292/consumers-warned-fake-olive-oil
Shop with Confidence at St. Croix Olive!
But don’t worry – the olive oil you purchase at St. Croix Olive has been verified by CFIA to be 100% pure extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
So shop with confidence. St. Croix Olive is keeping an eye on quality for you and your family!