Amy FriendJuly 11, 2016

Are you buying what you think you’re buying when it comes to real food? I listened to a podcast recently and was shocked to learn what food manufacturers can get away with saying on the label of their products. Is it deceptive? You can be the judge, but in my opinion…. yes, it is! Larry Olmsted, food and travel columnist for Forbes.com, has written a new book, “Real Food, Fake Food” in which he reveals some of the food industries dirty secrets.

A common staple in most every kitchen is the bottle of “Extra Virgin Olive Oil”. Has there ever been a reason to question the authenticity of this product? Several studies based on chemical analysis have been conducted and, depending on which one you cite, between 85 and 92 percent of the time, that olive oil is NOT extra virgin. Olmstead has a few tips for finding a good EVOO. First, he says that you can’t shop by price thinking that a fancy oil from a gourmet specialty store costing $30 must be the real thing. He recommends finding one from Australia, if you can. Most people would think that “Made in Italy” has got to be the real thing, but the reality is that Italy exports very little of its high quality olive oil. They can’t even produce enough to meet their own local demand. What they do export is what they have imported – from all around the Mediterranean, Morocco, Syria, Lybia and Turkey. They will then blend it and sell it as bottled in Italy! What can you safely buy and know that it’s a good quality olive oil. Whole Foods 365 brand is good. Larry orders his olive oil from a place called The Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club. Another thing to think about is how long does a bottle of EVOO last in your kitchen cabinet? The better the quality, the longer it lasts. However, even with the best olive oil in the world, once you open it, nine months is the absolute longest time recommended. We need to remember that while most oil — almost all the other oils we use are from seeds, olive oil is fresh pressed juice.

I have the huge bottle of Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in my kitchen cabinet, so my ears really tuned in when Olmstead started talking about Costco. This is my favorite store, which I will save for a blog all on its own. While the information and opinions on Costco’s EVOO vary, most would say that the Tuscan olive oil in a glass bottle is really good. As I read the fine print on my own plastic Costco bottle, it says “Packed in Italy with select oils from Portugal, Italy and Spain”. I appreciate the honesty. Personally, I have great trust in the products of Costco. Olmsted did share my opinion about Costco by saying that you are better off buying at big box stores like Costco because they have “enormous clout and often lock up the production of a particular farm or supplier who they can dictate standards to”.

I will finish my bottle of extra virgin olive oil, but I have certainly become much more aware of what to look for on labels and to always form my own opinions, based on my own research, in regard to what is real and what is not. Stay tuned to my next blog where I will share some information that I learned about seafood and parmesan cheese – real or not? That should always be a question. What would you want to put in your body?

Amy