Through the course of this series, we’ve dissected several components of olive oil in the modern world. At the end of the day, how do you, as a consumer, effortlessly and confidently select an olive oil? Saving time, money, and analysis paralysis by being distracted with too many options.
Step 1:
The price will reflect the quality. With olive oil, if it looks like you’ve found “steal” or “bargain”, it’s probably not real. Most oils are cut with low-quality or refined oils and actually marked up from its value.
Step 2:
Find the expiration date. Never buy a bottle without a date. Even better is a “pressed on” date. If it seems economical to buy in bulk – it’s not. Olive Oil goes rancid quickly. It makes more sense to buy a good oil in small quantities to save money and use butter, ghee, avocado oil, or any other oil of choice for cooking.
Americans were marketed into a “butter is bad” mentality, which means the public will overspend on (fake) olive oil, thinking that it’s a butter alternative. Reasonable amounts of butter are totally healthy; all the “bad butter” messaging was coming from “big margarine”. Recent studies actually disprove the cholesterol heart health theories that are generally held today.
Step 3:
Look for clear countries of origin. Even if the front label has a big Italian flag on it, the fine print will often reveal a blend from all over the world – even from South American non-oil producing countries. That is a clear indication it’s blended with any variety of vegetable and seed oils.
Tip:
Never buy olive oil in a clear container. An aluminum tin is best. Also, avoid buying a bottle on the top shelf of a grocery store; fluorescent light exposure will start spoiling the oil while it’s on the shelf.
Red Flag Words on Label: Light, Natural, Pure, Blended, and if there isn’t a COUNTRY OF ORIGIN on the back label. Even if there’s a big Italian flag on the front label, the back label will often list multiple countries (meaning it’s likely cut with other oils) or no country.
Green Flag Words on Label: First Cold Pressed, Cold Pressed, Unrefined, First/Early Harvest, Single Origin, and a clear country or even better estate where the oil was pressed
Labels That Don’t Matter: Organic, Non-GMO, Classico, Originale
