Everyone from health experts to Rachael Ray has touted the benefits of olive oil. As demand for expensive, higher-quality olive oil has grown, however, so has the problem of fraud. Last year, Connecticut officials discovered that some of that state's olive oil was a little too slick. As a result, beginning next month, the state will be the first in the country to set quality standards for olive oil. 
The state's new regulations prohibit additives and define virgin olive oil as "obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means . . . which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decanting, centrifuging and filtration." California and New York have expressed interest in enacting similar standards because counterfeit olive oil poses a potential health risk to consumers. Some people experience adverse reactions from unscrupulous olive oil, possibly as a result of food allergies to soybeans, tree nuts, and peanuts.
Often, when I'm buying cooking olive oil, I look for bargain prices. Now I'll take more interest in the brands that I choose. Will you do the same? Does this type of criminal activity surprise you?
Cheap Monday
Rag and Bone
Ralph Lauren
Interesting...I had no idea olive oil had to be regulated. LOL
1The italian restaurant my husband works at has what appears to be olive oil in glass decanters on the tables (for dipping bread). They recently started using a mix of half olive oil and half vegetable oil to save money. Of course, it's not labelled, so most people are just going to think it's olive oil that tastes funny (or just kind of tasteless)
2I'm not surprised, but I'm still not going to stop bargain hunting. I use so much olive oil in my cooking that if I bought the more expensive brands I'd have to switch to veg sometimes anyway just to save money.
3me too tls. I used to buy a name brand but now I buy Kroger brand olive oil. I'm pretty sure it's the real thing though based on the taste and look of it
4I never knew people even did this. I think I'll stick to the brands I know in that case...
5huh - i think that it's kind of shady when companies try to 'put one over on us' when it comes to quality of products. i hope that these guidelines are able to keep control on something that we use a lot and that it doesn't raise the price all that much since i know that i'm not the only one who likes to get a deal.
6Trader Joes has a wonderful selection of well-priced extra virgin olive oils. I recommend everyone check it out!
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