How to Tell if Your "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" is Real or Fake

Knowing that olive oil scams are common around the world, you may be wondering if those bottles of “virgin olive oil” on grocery shelves are actually extra virgin.

Manufacturers may label their bottles as "extra virgin," but they may actually be lower-quality oils adulterated with sunflower, hazelnut, and soybean oils or blended with chemicals (like beta-carotene and chlorophyll).

Buying fake products prevents you from enjoying the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil, such as protecting against heart disease, inflammation and high blood pressure. It adds fat to your diet, but not healthy fat.

"So how can I tell if my extra virgin olive oil is real or fake?" Here are simple ways to tell.

How to Tell if Your "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" is Real or Fake

1- Smell and Taste

Real and fresh olive oil smells like grass or fruit. If it smells stale, moldy or you can't smell it at all, you shouldn't buy it. When tasting the olive oil, there should be grass, fruit and almond aromas. Also, if the oil is slightly bitter and has a slightly spicy taste, it is a good sign. If it burns in the throat when you roll it in your mouth and swallow, it is a sign that it is a good oil. The color is not very important. It can be greenish or straw yellow.

2- Look at the Party History

The batch date is different from the expiration date. Look for the "batch date," "bottling date," or "harvest date" within 18 months. Buying a bottle of olive oil with only an expiration date may not be a good idea, as the oil may have been produced or bottled many years ago.

3- Pay Attention to How It Is Bottled

Store olive oil in a cool, dark place. If the bottle is completely transparent, avoid it. Darker bottles preserve the olive oil better. It is also important that the olive oil is packaged in a glass bottle or tin; plastic bottles are inadequate in protecting the oil from light, heat and moisture. If you do not consume the olive oil immediately after opening, there is no need to buy a large package just because it is economical.

4- Price

“Early harvest” olive oil is produced before the olives ripen. Unripe olives yield less oil, but it is of higher quality. Therefore, this oil is more expensive because the producer gets less product. Read the label carefully when shopping at the grocery store. Avoid products that are too cheap. If the price is low, it may not be natural olive oil, so think of it as a health investment.

Conclusion:

If you want a natural extra virgin olive oil, make sure you get an extra virgin oil that has excellent flavor, is early harvested, is rich in polyphenols and is delicious to recommend. Consider all the factors above before buying an olive oil to avoid scammers.