Health Watch: Olive Oils Having Issues

People who have had heart conditions due to high blood pressure & high cholesterol levels, people who are recovering from stroke or heart surgeries are usually instructed to only use Olive Oil when cooking their food. Olive Oils are high in mono saturated and poly saturated fats which are good for your heart. They reduce your LDL (bad cholesterol). It is a very natural way of reducing your cholesterol levels and to keep your heart in good shape.

The problem however today is that there are current studies that found that the quality of the Olive Oils distributed & sold to the consumer that we buy at the supermarkets are below the standards where it should be. That might create more bad than good to those people I just indicated above or for us who just want to stay healthy. Below, you will find the list of famous name brands that are below those standards.

A recent report from the University of California Davis (UC Davis) Olive Center suggests just that. A team of scientists led by Edwin N. Frankel found that 69% of imported olive oil samples and 10% of California olive oil samples labeled as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) failed international chemical and sensory (organoleptic) standards for EVOO. The research team tested 52 samples of 19 brands-14 imported brands and five California brands-purchased in three geographical locations to reach their conclusions. The UC Davis Olive Oil Chemistry Laboratory, which has not yet been accredited by IOC, and the Australian Oils Research Laboratory (Wagga Wagga, New South Wales), which is fully accredited by IOC, conducted the laboratory work.

The laboratory tests also indicated that the International Olive Council (IOC; Madrid, Spain) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) chemistry standards "often do not detect defective olive oils that fail extra virgin sensory standards," the UC Davis team said. The group suggested that IOC/USDA standards would be made "more effective" by including German/Australian 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) and pyropheophytins (PPP) standards.

"A reduced level of DAG indicates that the samples were oxidized, or poor quality, and/or adulterated with cheaper refined oils, while an elevated level of PPP indicates that the samples were oxidized and/or adulterated with cheaper refined oils," the report suggested.

Even more astonishing are the names of the defendants in this case; they include some of the most well known olive oil brands sold in California, including, Bertolli, Filippo Berio, Carapelli, Star, Colavita, Mezzetta, Pompeian, Rachael Ray, Mazola, and Safeway Select. The Defendants also include the retailers and supermarkets that sell these products to the California consumers without testing and verifying the quality of the products sold, including, Bristol Farms, Gelson’s Markets, Vons/Pavilions, Ralphs, Stater Brothers, Albertson’s Market, Target, Wal‑mart, K Mart, and Nob Hill Foods.