Mr. Crumbs sent me an article last month that made my jaw drop. After reading it, I felt cheated and deceived. It was tempting to copy and paste the whole thing for you guys to read, but instead I set it aside specific for today’s post.
According to the article, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) told ABC news that one of the easiest foods that can be tampered with is olive oil, since it can be diluted with cheaper oils and we as consumers won’t know the difference.
Another commonly altered food was lemon juice, where researchers found as little as 15% and 25% lemon juice in bottles labeled 100% pure lemon juice. YIKES!
The article made me wonder… what if the olive oil we buy is really only 15% olive oil? What if the rest of the jug is filled with the icky “yellow vegetable oil” that we’ve been striving so hard to avoid?
And then my next thought made me slightly angry: Am I REALLY paying a premium price for a no-nutrition oil that’s being masked as a higher quality product because it’s in a fancier bottle?!
Fortunately there’s a very simple test to ensure our olive oils really are made with olives, and they’re not being diluted with lesser quality imposters.
Remember from Monday how olive oil is liquid at room temperature yet solid when refrigerated? And remember from early in our Truth About Fat series that polyunsaturated oils (the yellow vegetable kind) are liquid at both room temperature AND when refrigerated.
Those are the standards by which we judge: whether or not it turns a solid!
Two Step Olive Oil Purity Test
- Pour 2-4 tbsp of olive oil into a clean glass jar. Seal the jar.
- Put the jar in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- If the oil solidifies, it’s monounsaturated and is olive oil.
- If the oil remains a liquid, it is polyunsaturated and is NOT olive oil.
Three different brands of olive oil have come through my front door so far this year, so I took a small sample of each of these oils and ran it through the test above. Curious about the results? First, let’s talk about the oils.
Contender #1: Costco
Costco’s prices are very competitive, and their products are usually good quality. Naturally this is a place to go for something you want to be good, yet affordable (and don’t mind having a lot of). $11.49 for a 2 liter container.
The Statistics:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Labeled “first cold pressed.”
- No harvest date, but has an expiration date of February 7, 2014 (purchased March 2013)
- Dark, opaque plastic container.
- Stored in a closet where the temperature is always approximately 68 degrees.
- No mention of NAOOA on the bottle.
Contender #2: Olitalia
This bottle was a Grocery Outlet find and experiment. I had never heard of this brand (despite the bottle saying “the olive oil brand most distributed in the world”), but we needed olive oil and I had a coupon. $6.99 for a 1 L container.
The Statistics:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Labeled “first cold pressed.”
- No harvest date nor expiration date. Contains Lot number and time stamp.
- Dark, opaque glass container.
- Stored in a closet where the temperature is always approximately 68 degrees.
- No mention of NAOOA on the bottle.
Contender #3: Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s carries a few different varieties of olive oil. This one was simply the cheapest on the shelf – $5.49 for 1 liter, and I bought it for two reasons: a) per liter, the price beat out Costco, and b) it’s a lot easier to pour oil from a 1L container than a 2L jug.
The Statistics:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Labeled “cold pressed.”
- Harvest date/expiration date unknown (I accidentally recycled the bottle 🙁 )
- Medium, opaque glass container.
- Stored in a closet where the temperature is always approximately 68 degrees.
- NAOOA data unknown (darn that recycle bin!)
The Two Step Olive Oil Purity Test:
I poured 2 ounces of each oil into separate glass containers and put them in the fridge, on the top shelf, at the very back, Saturday after dinner.
The Result:
After 12 hours, two of the three oils had completely solidified. I was surprised to see one oil still liquid, so I kept the oils in the fridge until evening.
After 24 hours, all three oils had completely solidified. Which one took longer than the others?
Costco.
This doesn’t mean Costco’s olive oil is bad or even watered down with other oils that aren’t derived from olives. It did – after a full day – solidify. But there is no explanation why it took twice as long to get to the same result. I even re-arranged the line-up of the jars in the fridge, thinking that their placement had something to do with it (although they were at the very coldest spot in the fridge… beef on the same shelf nearly froze during the test).
The oil being “old” doesn’t explain it either, since I had bought it early March and opened the container just for the experiment – I haven’t even really used it yet!
Now What?
Honestly, my gut tells me to return the Costco olive oil. Given the simple and consistent standards of the test, it should have passed just as easily as the other oils.
Another reason I’m returning the bottle is because I’m making a commitment to no longer cook with olive oil at high temperatures. We’ve been good about it for the past couple months, but I want to be even more so going forward. This means that opportunities to use 2 liters of olive oil are going to be far less.
Going forward it would be better to buy the smaller 1L glass jars of olive oil from Trader Joe’s, even if I have to buy two at a time. Another option would be to continue trying out random brands from Grocery Outlet. They’re prices are competitive, but now that I know what to look for (using these guidelines for buying), I can be even more discerning on the quality of oil. The Olitalia oil was actually really tasty!
UPDATE: Just a few weeks after this post was published I sifted through all of the the data left in the comments below, and even more. Read the science (and non-science) and determine for yourself whether or not the fridge test is valid!
Where to find Quality Olive Oil
Considering from the test I ran that Costco olive oil may not be the best. And not everyone has a Trader Joe’s or Grocery Outlet, you might need some ideas on where to find good olive oil! Use your price book to compare prices at your local stores.
If you prefer online shopping Amazon has some good options as well as Thrive Market. I trust the brands at Thrive Market to be solid sources. Amazon is a little riskier unless you are sure to research the brand you buy.
katotech
The coldest spot in the refrigerator is right under the cold air outlet. This is usually located above the top shelf with the temperature control dial or knob. (The cold air is blown down from the evaporator under the freezer compartment.) In my refrigerator, the outlet is front and center. If I stack something under there, the top item often freezes.
Linda L
After watching Dr. Oz, I decided to check out my stash of olive oils purchased from Costco and Trader Joe’s. Even though they were all extra virgin, first cold pressed, they didn’t completely solidify. I put the entire bottles in the refrigerator and left them alone for two days. I was surprised. I went back to Costco and was able to fine one bottle that actually had only one region, Tuscany, a harvest date of October/November 2013, which meant that it’s good till April/May, 2014, (six months)and was extra virgin, cold pressed within a few hours of harvesting–one liter Kirkland Signature Toscano for $11.99 and it solidified completely. I will now be purchasing this extra virgin olive oil for my family.
babette
Since almost everything at Costco has the “K” or “U” or “COR” or “MK” on it we never shop there.
We refuse to pay into the “kosher tax” racket, period. It’s not easy, but avoiding that symbol can still be done. Home cooking. Fresh ingredients bought from local growers. Back to basics.
We refuse to pay a supplementary and secret tax under the pretense it certifies safety, cleanliness and other such nonsense. The symbol is on 75% of all products: From canned soup to toothbrushes. Why is that? It’s a racket. Get wise and educate others about it.
Where does this money go? Who benefits? Guess.
Caveat emptor.
mary anne
i think the coldest part of refridgerator is lowest shelf, as far back as you can go. warm air rises.. top shelf wud b warmer. im testing now. great article.
Christine
For Costco, i’m told you have to use the brand that says “organic”. That one pass the U of California test as being one of the five brands that was authentic. The Kirkland Signature did not. Maybe that’s the difference?
Tiffany
Hi Usama,
I know that there’s no 100% foolproof method to test olive oil, but I do think that the fridge test is a test that could possibly rule out bad oils. Although I completely agree in your comments on the color and taste, and how wonderful (and delicious) it would be to be able to press our own oils (or at least have a friend that does 😉 ).
Gary Clevenger
After my purchase of olive oil from West Coast Products (Orlinda Brand)extra virgin olive oil. Supposedly,,(“100% California Grown Natural Unrefined Extra Virgin Olive oil”)I was suspicious that this olive oil taste was somewhat askew. I decided to do the refer test and low and behold, After 12 hrs., after 18 hrs. this olive oil was still very liquid. I had noticed this before when I made my salad dressing in the past and refrigerated it. Other olive oils I have purchased in the past always were jell like when I retrieved it from the refer. I thought it was strange but it didn’t ring a bell until I read your article. I have emailed the company, asking if they use other oils in their olive oil, with no reply. Ok more than once. I just wrote another Email and I will get back to you if and when I get a reply.
Tiffany
Thanks for sharing your experience Gary. I look forward to hearing the response. Even if they don’t reply, at least you’ve got one oil you know to avoid!
John
The only way to be sure if you have real 100% EVOO oil is to go pick the olives yourself and bring them home and press them.
Otherwise you can pretty much bet you are getting a mix of cheap oils. Labels are useless. China and Hong Kong and other places can easily crank out fake labels by the billions. And they do.
Nowadays, truth in labeling is a joke. Unless you make it yourself, just assume you are getting ripped off.
aydin
if they mixed in hydrgenated oils, surely that would go hard again
[email protected]
is the test also the same for almond oil.i am facing problem of hair fall.i tried various things but non worked.i dont want to use any medicine like hair sprays and tablets for they are completely useless.someone told me about almond oil.now i am concerned whether the one i bought is pure or am i paying more for least.can you help me with that
Tiffany
Since almond oil is not the same as olive oil, testing for purity would be greatly different. Unfortunately I haven’t seen any tests for almond oil. 🙁
Clara
Hello,
I was just researching about olive oil and came across this article. http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9582
I thought it was quite interesting because Mom and I have always depended on the refrigerate test. And it is fairly recent too! 🙂
Let me know what you all think of it! –DH
Tiffany
Interesting… I personally think there IS some validity to the olive oil test, because of the science behind it (more in this post), but I do understand why it won’t work 100% of the time. What REALLY interests me is why they keep testing non-EVOO oils when that’s the only oil in question. 😉
Tiffany
🙁 Bummer. I thought that one came recommended too.
Jolene
I’m glad to see so many responding to food labeling. I have one thing to offer and that is to say we know the FDA isn’t working for us! I hope this sparks a movement lobbying the government to put more weight on our food labels. We must know what we are buying and eating is safe and what we are paying for. In light of the event in India where over 20 children died eating their lunch. If left unchecked that could eventually happen to us.
Getting back to the Olive Oil concern, I have contacted WalMart/Sam’s Club for answers. I purchesed a (Sam’s Club) Members Mark 3 liter bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the bottle has nothing on it but an expiration date. It is labeled “First Cold Pressing”. I put it in the frig. but nothing in this bottle has come close to congealing. Yes, I know what they said about the refrigerator test. Something in that bottle should show signs of coagulating and nothing smells like an olive. I am waiting to see if they get back to me or not. However I am going to take it back and will go to Costco and purchase theirs.
We shouldn’t have to police our food. We pay people working for our government good money to do that for us and have always trusted they are doing their job. Not only are we being duped but our health is at risk as well.
Tiffany
Thank you Jolene! If it were possible to copy/paste your first and third paragraph to be my stance on our food, I would! Thank you for sharing 🙂 ~Tiffany
debunked
The fridge test has been debunked by UC Davis Olive center.
Tiffany
Hello! There’s an update at the bottom of the post linking to this: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2013/04/you-decide-is-the-olive-oil-fridge-test-valid-or-not/
Full, comprehensive research on the research done on olive oil…
Rebecca
Hi Tiffany,
This great post has been featured in this weeks Seasonal Celebration Wednesday over at Natural Mothers Network! Thanks so much for sharing! Rebecca
Tiffany
Thanks Rebecca!
Tiffani
I tested my current brand, California Olive Ranch. It solidified.
Tiffany
Good news Tiffani (great name, by the way 😉 ). Thanks for letting us know! ~Tiffany
lisa
Yay!!!!!
Katherine @ Green Thickies
Very interesting! I’m really curious to put this to the test now! Thank you for sharing this with Healthy Vegan Fridays. Check back on Friday to see if you were one of the Top 3! We hope to see you again this week. You can submit a post from Friday to end of Tuesday!
Erin
I think the fridge test is unreliable if you’re looking for straight-up solidity. The olive oils I’ve tested have only thickened; not fully solidified. This article had some great points [home-pressed olive oil which did not solidify in the fridge!]: http://primaltoad.com/olive-oil/
I’m dreaming about the taste of home-made olive oil now… 🙂 Mmmm…
Tiffany
LOL – thanks for the link Erin. More on this topic coming next week!!
Anupreet Sandhu
Hello,
I read your post and tried on my spectrum organic EVOO,which become crystallised after 12 hours.
Than I found following article, can you check it out and tell which one to believe solid or crystallised EVOO.
http://www.crunchybetty.com/when-your-extra-virgin-olive-oil-isnt-so-wholesome
Thanks
Tiffany
Love Crunchy Betty Anupreet – thanks for sharing her article.
I’m going to look into the research she’s posted, along with articles shared with other readers and do a follow-up post next week to hopefully get a clear(er) picture on the purity of olive oil. Until then, I can only rely on the science I’ve read thus far (including the research included in Nourishing Traditions and WAPF) and it can be summed up as this: monounsaturated fats solidify at cold temperatures; polyunsaturated fats do not. If the oil solidifies, it’s mostly mono-. If it doesn’t, it’s mostly poly-. I can’t break it down further for crystallized vs. solidification just yet, but I hope to do so soon and in the mean time, I’d say you’re safe. ~Tiffany
Carol Ann
Cheeseslave printed a retraction on her fridge test article, after learning it’s not accurate, and the UC Davis olive oil center just published a press release debunking it, too. It’s too bad it doesn’t work. It would mike ID much simpler!
Tiffany
Thanks for the note Carol Ann – you’re not the first reader to comment on that, so I’m revisiting the issue again next week. More research and more result analysis coming your way!!