Olive oil is simply the natural juice of the olive fruit. It's the only vegetable oil that can be eaten fresh-pressed from the fruit, as is. It is now considered to be one of the healthiest oils due to both its high content of mono-un-saturated fatty acids and antioxidants. Studies confirm that olive oil can help protect against heart disease by controlling LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels and boosting HDL (the "good" cholesterol) levels. 1

Olive oil is easily digested and even carries with it the benefit of soothing ulcers and gastritis. It also works better and more naturally than prescription drugs to stimulate bile secretion and pancreatic hormones. In studies, people who consumed 25 milliliters (ml) - about 2 tablespoons - of virgin olive oil daily for 1 week showed less oxidation of LDL cholesterol and higher levels of antioxidant compounds in the blood. 2

But its EXTRA VIRGIN olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives, that contains the higher levels of antioxidants, particularly vitamin E and phenols, because it is less processed.

For proper functioning of the body, fats supply fatty acids that are not produced by our bodies; we get them from food. These essential fatty acids are linoleic and linolenic acid. They are important for controlling inflammation, blood clotting, and brain development. Omega-3 fatty acids come to us in cold-water fish, flax seed, soy, and walnuts. Studies show they may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and boost our immune systems.

Extra Virgin - The best, least processed oil from the first pressing of the olives.
Virgin – Oil from the second pressing.
Pure – Slightly processed by filtering and refining, usually labeled as "olive oil".
Extra light – More highly process, only slight olive flavor, may contain other oils.

When buying olive oil it's best to opt for high quality EXTRA VIRGIN oil. The oil that comes from the first "pressing" of the olive is extracted without using heat (a cold press) or chemicals, and has no "off" flavors is awarded "extra virgin" status. The less the olive oil is handled, the closer to its natural state, the better the oil. If the olive oil meets all the criteria, it can be designated as "extra virgin." Of course, you can expect to pay a premium price for such high quality, but it's well worth it.

What are pure and light olive oils? "Pure" olive oil is made by adding a small quantity of extra virgin olive oil to refined olive oil. It is a lesser grade oil and it may be labeled simply as "olive oil" in the U.S. "Light" olive oil is a just an advertising word and it has nothing to do the classification of olive oil grades. Because it's unregulated by any certification organizations there are almost no guidelines for its content. Sometimes, the oil is cut with other vegetable oils.

Always store olive oil in a cool, dark place away from light and heat. Make sure it is tightly sealed. Olive oil can easily go rancid when exposed to air, light or high temperatures.

Since 2004, when the FDA made it known that olive oil reduced the risk of coronary heart disease, the American market boomed. Sales of olive oil have increased an average of ten percent each year and are now worth over $2 billion annually.

The expense of production paired with an increase in demand has led to fakes, corruption and scandal in the olive oil industry.

In his article "Slippery Business, The Trade in Adulterated Olive Oil," (August 13th, 2007 edition of the New Yorker ), journalist Tom Mueller reported that unscrupulous companies have slashed costs associated with production by replacing olive oil with cheaper oils. These frauds replace olive oil with Turkish hazelnut oil and Argentinean sunflower-seed oil in order to increase profits. Some oil labeled extra-virgin was replaced with a low-quality product called lampante (Italian for lamp oil), made from rotting olives that have fallen from trees; selling lampante as food is illegal. Other industry cheats use chlorophyll to make soy oil the color of olive oil and then flavor it with beta-carotene. The trickster companies and producers then bribe officials to make sure that they're an integral part of the systems that regulate the olive oil. Of the 787 olive oil producers investigated by the Italian government, 205 were found guilty of false labeling and product contamination.

In America the FDA does not routinely test imported oil for its purity. So, oils claiming to be Italian or bottles that read "Extra Virgin" may very well be totally bogus, made or cut with hazelnut or sunflower seed oil.

The lesson for olive oil lovers is those labels often lie. Yet, the FDA says olive oil is good for our hearts, so we buy it. After all, the bottle says it comes from Italy! Worse still – if it's hard to trust what you read, it's doubly hard to trust what you taste.

One solution is to stop looking to other countries for the real thing. In 1992, the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) began a labeling program to ensure the quality and source of extra virgin olive oils grown in the state. Under the COOC seal program, California producers using the "extra-virgin" designation must provide a legal affidavit proving that the olives are grown in their California orchards and that the olive oil was extracted without chemicals or excessive heat. The oil is then put through rigorous taste tasting and an independent lab does a chemical analysis on the oil. As of five years ago, if a grower wanted to sell oil as "California, extra-virgin" it had to be certified. Today, 85% percent of California's virgin olive oil producers are now members of the COOC. The labeling program supports producers who tend to have small operations and make smaller (and usually more expensive) batches of olive oil.

The COOC petitioned the USDA to update the regulations in 2004, but they are still awaiting a decision (The USDA has not updated its standards for olive oil quality since 1948). So, Italy has focused on supporting large producers and corporations to increase the quantity of production rather than the quality. In fact, corrupted olive oil has become the biggest source of agricultural fraud problems in the European Union.

The Reality of Olive Oil

 

Since the label is not necessarily reliable, here are a few guidelines for Olive Oil Reality:

Hard-hitting reality would seem to indicate that the olive oil from California is a safe bet. There are, however, superior quality oils being produced all over the world. Reality also pretty much guarantees that the oil is much more expensive, but considering the health benefits and flavor of authentic extra virgin olive oil, isn't that what counts?