{"id":3183,"date":"2021-10-10T04:27:28","date_gmt":"2021-10-10T04:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/?p=3183"},"modified":"2021-10-10T09:20:31","modified_gmt":"2021-10-10T09:20:31","slug":"food-fraud-what-you-need-to-know-about-olive-and-avocado-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/10\/food-fraud-what-you-need-to-know-about-olive-and-avocado-oil\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Fraud: What You Need To Know About Olive and Avocado Oil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ocean Robbins<\/a> \u00b7 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUMMARY<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Olive and avocado oils are widely used, popular ingredients around the world. They are often touted for their health benefits and flavor. But they are also controversial, and may not be of the quality that you would like to think. Even the Mafia is in on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was modified on November 18, 2020 to correct factual inaccuracies.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where\u2019s the vegetable oil in your kitchen? Sitting next to the stovetop? Above the microwave? Tucked away on a pantry shelf next to the baking items? If you\u2019re fancy, you may have an elegant olive oil dispenser on your dining room table. Many of us use vegetable oil on a regular basis for stir-frying, sauteing, and dressing salads. If vegetable oils aren\u2019t the most exciting items in our larders, hey, at least they\u2019re dependable. We know what\u2019s in them, and we don\u2019t have to worry about poor quality ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, not so fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turns out that some vegetable oils are not of the quality they claim. And some may not even be the oil we think they are at all. Rather, some vegetable oils appear to be the long-time victim of an unfortunately widespread industry scandal called food fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Food Fraud?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to experts at the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, \u201cfood fraud<\/a> is a collective term used to encompass the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering, or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients, or food packaging; or false or misleading statements made about a product, for economic gain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, if you thought you could read a food package and automatically trust all the claims plastered on it, this should make you very uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Fraud in the Oil Industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Food fraud in the oil industry isn\u2019t new. There\u2019s a spectacular case from 1963, dubbed the \u201cSalad Oil Scandal,<\/a>\u201d in which a shady company, Allied Crude Vegetable Oil, won a contract to provide salad oil to developing countries via a US government program called Food for Peace. In a scheme far too convoluted to recount here, Allied hoodwinked hundreds of millions of dollars (worth billions in today\u2019s money) from investment banks by misrepresenting the amount of vegetable oil they had in inventory. They did it by filling tanker ships almost to the brim with water and then adding a thin layer of vegetable oil on top. While today\u2019s food fraud isn\u2019t that brazen (you\u2019d probably notice if your expensive bottle of Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil was mostly water), journalists and researchers are now uncovering fraud \u2014 and low-quality products \u2014 that are worth paying attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fake Avocado Oil<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A 2020 report from UC Davis<\/a>, published in the journal Food Control<\/em>, was the first study<\/a> in the United States regarding comprehensive avocado oil quality and purity. The researchers found that most of the avocado oils they tested were of poor quality, mislabeled, or in some cases were actually combined with other lesser-quality oils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One indication of low quality is that many US brands of avocado oil were found to have gone rancid before their stamped expiration date. What\u2019s more, some shouldn\u2019t have been called avocado oil at all. Researchers found that some US brands were mixed with other cheaper, lower-quality oils like sunflower, safflower, or soybean oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In three of the oils tested, the soybean content was nearly 100%, which meant that the so-called avocado oil didn\u2019t come from any avocado whatsoever. The researchers also found evidence that damaged avocados of lesser quality were frequently used in the processing of the oils. This led to the oil oxidizing before it even hit the shelf, reducing<\/a> nutritional benefits and expected quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problematic samples tested had a reduced level of DAGs \u2014 1,2-diacylglycerol and 1,3-diacylglycerol, breakdown products of triacylglycerols \u2014 indicating that they were already oxidized, of poor quality, and\/or degraded with cheaper refined oils. Additionally, many samples had elevated levels of PPPs \u2014 pyropheophytins, or breakdown products of chlorophyll \u2014 also indicating they were oxidized and\/or mixed with cheaper refined oils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As disappointing as the findings from the UC Davis study were, testing shows<\/a> that food fraud is not unique to avocado oil. The darling of the vegetable oil industry, olive oil, is another product that may present some concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fake Olive Oil?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Think about the olive oil selection you have at the grocery store. Many bear an Italian-esque name or say \u201cMade in Italy,\u201d drawing us in with their supposed authenticity. Sadly, some Italian olive oil may be rife with fraud. Elaine Sciolino wrote<\/a> for the New York Times<\/em> that \u201cmuch of the \u2018extra-virgin Italian olive oil\u2019 flooding the world\u2019s markets is neither Italian nor virginal.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extra virgin olive oil<\/a> must, by definition, come from the first fresh press of olives \u2014 and have zero additives. So when something is labeled that way, we just assume it\u2019s true. Unfortunately, the mafia has infiltrated the agricultural industry, creating a term known as \u201cAgromafia<\/a>.\u201d Just like with avocado oil, olive oil could be blended with other unlisted, lower-quality plant oils, and may be disguised with colorings and fragrances, thus fooling most consumers. Some olive oils are of poor quality or have already gone rancid as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is so widespread, and the profit margin is so enormous \u2014 up to 2000% percent according to insiders<\/a> \u2014 that the scope of olive oil fraud has actually been linked<\/a> to the illegal drug trade. In fact, in 2015, Italian police seized<\/a> 7,000 tons of fake Italian \u201colive oil\u201d in a single raid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only does food fraud reduce the quality of oils, but it can also pose risks to public health. The fact that other classic, beloved foods from Italy are adulterated<\/a> \u2014 such as mozzarella (whitened with detergent) and bread (made with sawdust or asbestos) \u2014 offers a frightening window into the reality of the commercial and imported food system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to these concerns, the Italian government has imposed<\/a> strict export controls in an effort to protect the reputation of its olive oil industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can We Not Know If Our Oil Is Real?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the biggest downfall when it comes to lack of protection for the quality of olive oil is that there\u2019s no federal regulation of bottled oils and their label claims in the US. However, some states are passing bills with stronger requirements for olive oil labeling. In 2008, California passed SB-634<\/a>, which states that it\u2019s \u201cunlawful to manufacture, sell, offer for sale, give away, or to possess imitation olive oil in California.\u201d<\/em> And that any oil labeled \u201cCalifornia Olive Oil,\u201d must solely come from California olives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, because of the lack of federal regulation, there\u2019s a lot of money to be made by the Agromafia, as well as other domestic companies, who are cutting more expensive oils with cheap, low-quality ones \u2014 sometimes selling them as premium products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that while we don\u2019t know how common it is, outright fraud in the olive oil industry may be relatively rare in the United States. In 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration published<\/a> peer-reviewed research about olive oil authenticity in the Journal of American Oil Chemists\u2019 Society. Researchers concluded that the occurrence rate of adulteration for the market samples they analyzed was \u201clow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should You Eat Olive or Avocado Oil?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The most surefire way to make sure you\u2019re not purchasing, consuming, or supporting fraudulent oil is to skip out on added oil in your diet altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going oil-free, or nearly so, may be your healthiest option. And many people have adopted this lifestyle in recent years with success. (Find out more about why, and get some delicious oil-free salad dressing recipes, here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you do want to include some oil in your diet, olive and avocado oils are actually among the best options \u2014 or at least among the least problematic \u2014 when it comes to potential health impact. Why? Both of these oils (in their purest forms) contain low levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which is good since omega-6s are pro-inflammatory when consumed in excess of their anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat counterparts. Avocado and olive oils also contain low amounts of saturated fat compared to other bottled vegetable oils. Consumption of saturated fat in large amounts can raise your risk<\/a> for high cholesterol, clogged arteries, and heart disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, eating avocados<\/a> in their whole food form is far healthier than eating avocado oil. But the oil (if it\u2019s real and unadulterated) can provide nutrients found<\/a> to reduce cholesterol, improve heart health, improve eye health<\/a>, and increase absorption of health-boosting carotenoids that are abundant in salad vegetables (avocado salad dressing, meet salad!). And extra-virgin olive oil (the real stuff!) is rich in oleic acid and antioxidants and may have anti-inflammatory properties<\/a>. Studies suggest that it can help prevent strokes, heart disease, and even potentially type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer\u2019s, and cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Avocado or Olive Oil Actually Healthy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A word of caution, however. While some studies show health benefits of avocado and olive oils, they are still processed foods. All of the fiber and many of the nutrients that were in the original food are gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also possible that the health benefits associated with these oils are not caused by them so much as by what they replace. It stands to reason that almost anybody who replaces genetically engineered and highly inflammatory corn or soy oil<\/a> with extra virgin olive oil can anticipate some health benefit. But it could be because of what they\u2019re getting rid of rather than what they\u2019re adding. Until there\u2019s a significant study done on the health of whole food, plant-based eaters<\/a>, some of who consume olive or avocado oil regularly, and others who do not consume much, if any, bottled oil, we\u2019re unlikely to know with certainty what\u2019s best for whom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, there might actually be an upside to paying top dollar for genuine olive and avocado oils. Their steep price means that you\u2019ll probably use the oil much more sparingly \u2014 and appreciate it far more when you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What should you look for when choosing an olive or avocado oil? There are a few things to keep in mind to minimize your risks for contamination and fraud when comparing brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Choose an Authentic Avocado Oil<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When choosing an avocado oil<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n