Beware of Fake Olive Oil

The next time you're looking at olive oil in the grocery store, don't reach for the cheapest one right away.

The International Olive Oil Council has been bothering the FDA about setting standards for olive oil since at least 1988, when the FDA met with reps from a number of different oil councils from around the world. U.S. standards, according to the Associated Press, haven't been updated since 1940. Because of this, we're the primary target for olive oil fraud.

Most other countries have adopted these standards, so that when you reach for extra virgin olive oil in Europe, you know what you're getting--mostly. They're so serious about it that Italy has twenty specially trained cops who can taste the difference between the real and fake stuff.

Still, it's a problem even where there are strict standards and regulations, as in Italy.

Some companies looking to sell the pricey extra virgin stuff will put in a little cheap olive oil, mix it with vegetable oil or soy oil and then use coloring to give it the right yellow and greenish tint. For people with allergies it can be devastating, because there's nothing on the label to indicate what kind of oil was used. Peanut oil or Turkish hazelnut oil is sometimes used in small quantities as part of the mix and a few people have actually gotten ill because of this.

In Connecticut they just passed a state law regarding the standards because the FDA has been so slow in setting up and enforcing a national standard. Connecticut has adopted the IOOC's standards. Connecticut is the first state in the U.S. to set such a standard.

Connecticut's Office for Consumer Protection received complaints from people with allergies that had become ill because of it. Because of the law, no additives are allowed in any olive oils sold in Connecticut. The penalty for breaking the law is fines and instantly pulling stock from store shelves.

New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island are also interested in putting such a law on their books.

California, which has lead the way in homegrown olive oil standards because of the California Olive Oil Council, is set to have a similar law on their books in January.

The California Olive Oil Council quietly set the standard for olive oil produced in California. Many U.S. growers are in California and if you see the seal on their product, you'll know you're getting quality, real extra virgin olive oil.

What to look for

--Olive oil that's half the price of others of similar quality and quantity.

--Brands you've never heard of.

--Olive oil you can't see because it's in a metal tin instead of a see-through container.

--Look for a label certified by the California Olive Oil Council.