I just came across a claim that 86% of olive oil is fake. Seemed a bit dubious to me, so I googled it. And there are plenty of articles from reputable sources which seem to back it up, though maybe not 86%.
It seems that a lot of Extra Virgin is diluted with bog-standard olive oil, and any of it could have seed oils and chemicals in.
Would this put you off? Could it be inflammatory?
As far as I remember this was Italian and Greek olive oils. Cartels were dying seed oils green with chlorofil. The recommendations at the time were to buy California oilve oil as they don’t suffer this issue. I realize this is a US centric solution, there were a few Italian brands that were not fraudulent and some of the articles mentioned them, sure you could find the list with some google-fu.
The fraud exists. Definately do your research to obtain legitimate oil.
This story has been circulating for years. Here’s a Snopes.com review, updated recently that found the claim is “mixed”, part true part false.
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/oliveoil.asp
I recall listening to a youtube talk by Dr Steve Phinney, who was asked about this and said that he had looked into it and sent samples to a friend who could verify olive oil. He specifically said that the Costco olive oil was pure (although I don’t know which bottle; they have three, light, regular, and organic). I saw somewhere else that specifically the Costco organic olive oil was good. Rather costly, but maybe we get what we pay for?
I take this pretty seriously. We use a lot of olive oil and you don’t want to be taking in lots of canola or some other industrial seed oil, thinking that it is olive oil. We either do Costco organic, or else board-certified California olive oil.
I’m fortunate to live in an area of California where olives are grown and there’s lots of freshly pressed REAL olive oil around. Not cheap, but good stuff. It’s fun to go tasting in chi chi stores in the tourist sections of Sonoma, St. Helena, Napa, Healdsburg, etc, but when you are keto and can’t dip bread in for tasting you have to sip it–some of those oils are really phenolic and harsh on the back of your throat!
Some local olive presses will let you bring your own bottle to fill and it’s less expensive that way. So my advice is plan a trip to Sonoma and Napa wine country to stock up on the real thing. Drink a bottle of wine, save the bottle and cork for your olive oil ;o)
On a popular keto podcast they’ve been advertising a brand of “fresh” olive oil that’s “rushed right to your door after pressing” and you can try a $39 sample bottle for $1. It makes me laugh. Olive “season” is short so if you are buying olive oil in May I can guarantee you it wasn’t pressed last week. Marketing hype, but then it makes me wonder what else they aren’t telling the truth about.
Villa capelli olive oil is supposed to be legit. It is not cheap, but you do get what you pay for. They ship it until they run out, once it’s gone, you have to wait for the next season. I haven’t tried it, can’t afford it yet, but it’s on my list! Vinnie tortorich from fitness confidential sings it’s praises.
I’ve heard that oil from other countries are allowed to claim 100% pure when it’s not. That’s what started the whole controversy.
we do not use Olive oil enough to really worry about it, we use butter, coconut oil more, so the limited times we use olive oil, i do not think it will make much of a difference…
Yes, I interviewed Larry Olmstead about his book Real Food Fake Food. He got into olive oil, kobe beef, fish, etc. It was quite eye opening.
Yes, if they are cutting it with seed oils, it is definitely oxidized and inflammatory. I now get all of my olive oil from a boutique shop that specializes in fresh pure olive oils.
I buy greek olive oil in 5 litre cans from a designated region - where production is strictly controlled. The oil is delicious and I’m fairly sure of it.
There is certainly an issue with Italy exporting more olive oil than it produces - so there is an problem there. I think a lot of the big brands are the worst for it because as with all industrial food production, they buy from a vast array of sources and blend together so they’re only as reliable as their control over their supply chain allows. And we’ve all seen the scandals that have occurred with that.
Here in the UK and Ireland we had a massive issue with ex racehorse horsemeat turning up as beef. It was potentially tainted with NSAID drugs that they give to the horses.
Major supermarkets and food producers had been selling tainted meat in their ready meals and burgers and had no idea.
So I have no great faith in the supply chain control of large companies.
Omg I am glad you said Sonoma. 
my partner is from their and we’re taking a trip in a few weeks.
Honestly, I’ve dreaded buying any olive oil in FL and waiting to get some from Sonoma County. It’s a darn shame to hear companies diluting this delicious and nutritious oil with something toxic just to make an extra buck. I have informed many of my friends that what they are buying is most likely not 100% olive oil.
The issues with fraud as well as just bad/old (= rancid) olive oil are absolutely real. See this great book for a history of the olive oil industry and a more detailed (and frankly fascinating) account of all the shady dealings happening: https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virginity-Sublime-Scandalous-World-ebook/dp/B005LW5IZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544924180&sr=8-1&keywords=olive+oil+history+book
If you’re in the U.S., I recently became aware of oliobar (http://www.oliobar.com). They imports olive oils directly from small producers in Italy and do their own lab testing. I’ve had a couple of bottles so far and there is no comparison to what you buy in supermarkets
If you’re not sure about the olive you have, put it in the refrigerator. If it gets thicker or solidifies it’s fake. The real stuff will stay liquid
Thanks MiKetoAF. Interesting article. I wonder if the age of the oil has anything to do with it solidifying. I know that olive oil will not age well since it is made from a fruit. I also use Kirkland brand as well