Get the lowdown - FlavCity starring Bobby Parrish (2023)

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misstatement

0:00-0:20

You are buying fake extra virgin olive oil. In fact, 70 percent of the EVOO in a regular grocery store is fake. And that's a big problem because extra virgin olive oil is expensive. And indeed, the study comes from UC Davis. Right there they have an olive oil institute. You have the numbers.

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This is totally wrong. Most importantly, the authors of the aforementioned UC Davis report clarified that their findings should not be applied to the olive oil market today. The disclaimer availableHere, explains: “The results in this report are based on samples purchased in 2010 and from California retailers.it should not be used to characterize the quality or authenticity of any olive oil currently available in California or anywhere else." (Emphasis added.)

Additionally, there are several credibility issues with the report. In 2018, oneThe Federal Court rejected the action.v. Bertolli, who relied on the UC Davis report because the judge found it flawed for three main reasons: 1) there are serious flaws in his methodology, including the fact that it was based on a subjective taste test and a very large sample size; little; 2) The almost 10 year old report is out of date and has no relevance to today's market; and 3) it was geographically limited to oils purchased in California.

In addition to the issues cited by the court, the UC Davis report is inherently suspect because it was funded by California olive oil producers and companies that have a financial interest in increasing market share and tarnishing the reputation of imported oils. At the time the UC Davis report was published, a California lawyer was filing a class action lawsuit against several companies whose products were mentioned in it. As he befits a responsible lawyer, he tried to replicate the findings with an independent investigation. When he was unable to replicate the findings, he withdrew the lawsuit, something class action lawyers are not known to do lightly. Indeclare termination, the lawyer is quoted as saying: “The results are flagrantly contradictory. We would not be able to bear our own burden of proof or obtain consistency from our experts."

0:28-0:40

Inaccurate and unsubstantiated statement

So how is it fake? Extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO as I call it, must meet a series of specific requirements to be considered or classified as EVOO. The majority, 70 percent, in the supermarket do not attend to this.

facts

Once again, UC Davis has made it clear that its findings should not be used to characterize the quality or authenticity of olive oil currently available.

0:40-0:53

misstatement

The problem is that they are also often cut with lower quality processed vegetable oils like canola, soybean, corn, and peanut to dilute them. That's too bad, because you don't even get extra virgin olive oil.

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While the results are not relevant in today's market, even at the time of publication, the UC Davis reportfound no evidence of forgery(ie olive oil is mixed with other types of oil).

In fact, American consumers should have a high level of confidence in the quality and authenticity of the olive oil they buy. A study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whosepeer reviewed researchappeared inJournal of the American Society of Petroleum Chemists, tested 88 samples of extra virgin olive oil from retail store shelves in the Washington, DC, area. and foundno confirmed tampering in any of the samples tested. The FDA concluded that the incidence of adulteration in the samples tested was "low."

The FDA's findings reflect the results of the robust surveillance efforts of the NAOOA, which for 20 years has averaged nearly 200 oils a year straight off store shelves. The oils were tested in independent laboratories certified by the International Olive Council (IOC). The IOC was commissioned by the United Nations more than 50 years ago to oversee the production and quality of olive oil throughout the world. The cumulative results of the NAOOA trial support this finding.98% of the olive oil sold in US retail stores is authentic.

0:53-1:02

misstatement

Another problem is that many of them are made with old, rancid and rotten olives, usually from last year's harvest. I'll talk about that in a moment.

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This is completely false and there is no evidence to support it. Extra virgin olive oil is made by naturally pressing fresh olives without heat or chemicals. When in doubt, use your senses. The difference between fresh and rancid oil is very clear, even without a refined palate. Rancid oils are often described as smelling or tasting like crayons, damp cardboard, sawdust, or putty.

1:02-1:20

misstatement

And often these are mystery olives. They come from different parts of the world, maybe from Tunisia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, pressed in another country and you don't even have traceability. You don't know what you're getting. This is really a problem because extra virgin olive oil is one of my favorite cooking fats.

facts

Firstly, blending is a legitimate and common practice that occurs when extra virgin olive oil produced from different varieties, olive groves and/or regions is packaged together and sold as a single product. Extra virgin olive oil blends are properly labeled as extra virgin olive oil.

Second, one of the reasons why extra virgin olive oil is popular with many people is precisely because some manufacturers mix oils with different flavor profiles, which may be from different regions or even countries, to create a tailored blend. to the preferences of American consumers.

There are also very specific country of origin labeling requirements for olive oil imposed by the US Customs and Border Protection. "Product of XX" refers to the origin of the oils in the bottle, which means that these olives were grown in that country (ie "Product of Italy" means that the olives were grown in Italy). "Imported from XX" or "Packaged in XX" refers to where the oil was bottled; it does not mean that the olives were grown in that country. Regardless of whether or not a company includes a 'bottling' or 'packaging' statement, to comply with the law, they must include a 'product of' statement and if oils from multiple countries are blended elsewhere, each of The countries must be the same as the country of origin listed on the label.

1:44-2:00

misstatement

But here are the two ways in which they trick extra virgin olive oil, which is the most widely used. First, they cut it with these inferior oils, which, like I said, are horrible. But imagine you have allergies to peanuts, soybeans, corn and you put it in your oil. That is a problem.

facts

Apart from the fact that the adulteration of olive oil, as mentioned above, is extremely rare, it is misleading to suggest that adulterated oil poses a health risk to people with allergies. Most cooking oils (such as peanut oil or soybean oil) are refined, and the refining process removes allergens. Even in the unlikely event of adulteration, it is highly unlikely that the adulterated oil will cause any harm. actually theUS Food and Drug Administrationnor does it require peanut oil to be listed as an allergen on food labels. This statement is unnecessarily alarming to consumers.

2:00-3:09

misstatement

But here's also the other, bigger issue for me, that these oils are often made from lower quality olives. This is really illegal, but it is very difficult to catch. This is how they do it. They use old and stale olives. Some of these olives will be in the ground for a long time, or stored for months and months. This is not good, but they will also use oil from last year's harvest. This oil or these old olives, rancid olives, spoil, they are bad. Normally your mouth or nose would know or recognize this, but they are complicated, right? What are you doing? They refine, they process the oil to death to get rid of the smell, to get rid of the spoilage so you don't taste or smell the rancidity, but it's there, and what happens when that happens is you revert everything back to the original form. good things he was talking about. When you have a bad, rancid oil that has been mixed with inferior oils instead of having polyphenols, it suddenly disappears. Instead of attacking the free radicals in your cell, it actually contains free radicals. Instead of being anti-inflammatory, it's flammable, so it turns everything upside down, which is completely wrong because EVOO is expensive.

facts

This statement is incorrect on several levels. First of all, as mentioned above, extra virgin olive oil is made naturally by crushing fresh olives without heat or chemicals. The difference between fresh and rancid oil is very clear, even without a refined palate. Rancid oils are often described as smelling or tasting like crayons, damp cardboard, sawdust, or putty. In addition, extra virgin olive oil is, by definition,never refined with heat or chemicalsTherefore, it is completely wrong to suggest that extra virgin olive oil is regularly refined to mask rancid flavors and odors.

However, olive oil is a natural product. It's not uncommon (or illegal) for virgin olive oil to have off-flavors that prevent it from being classified as "extra." These defects can be caused when the olives are crushed shortly after harvest, by insect infestation, or by a variety of other production problems. If the flavor is mild, the olive oil can be sold as extra virgin olive oil. However, when the bad taste is too strong, it needs to be refined before it gets old. There is nothing illegal or inappropriate about this practice. Most other oils on the market are 100% refined. The difference is that the olive oil refining process is much less aggressive than that of seed oils, almost all of which are extracted with solvents. No olive oil, whether extra virgin or refined, is extracted with solvents. Regardless of whether an oil is refined or not, it certainly isn't.becomea substance that contains free radicals or has inflammatory properties.

4:50-5:42

misstatement

Also, if you add heat to this EVOO (indicative of the Kirkland brand), yes, you're changing the flavor a bit and ruining some of the earlier EVOO notes, that's okay because I don't want a really processed and refined olive oil. And that's the problem with most mass market oils, or EVOOs, that you see in a grocery store. They have been homogenized and processed to death so that they have the same flavor note from bottle to bottle. That is not possible. This is never how it's supposed to be... But the big EVOO makers want a specific or homogeneous flavor every time, so they process and refine it ad nauseam, and then the good health benefits are reversed, and it's not really a nice extra. first in the line of extra virgin olive oil.

facts

This is bad. Once again, extra virgin olive oil is, by definition,never refined or processed.No heat or chemicals are used at any stage of manufacturing, and flavor varies based on a variety of factors.

5:43-5:52

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And my friends at the FDA, that's pretty low on your totem pole. They don't have time to regulate EVOO like they would other much more serious things.

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Olive oil is a priority for the FDA. Our organization, NAOOA, is in talks with the FDA to create a national standard for olive oil. In fact, recentlymade an appwith the FDA working to create a standard of identity for olive oil. (In fact, this is the third petition we've filed since 1990.) Such a standard would be enforceable and would allow consumers to make more informed decisions about their health, providing clear definitions for different grades and types of olive oil and making consistent labeling. requirements would be established.

5:52-6:09

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And if you see a bottle of EVOO that says "light" or "extra light," don't buy it. They actually refine the delicate or robust flavors of the EVOO through heat treatment and refining, and at that point, it's garbage. It's absolutely ridiculous, so go with the ones I recommended.

facts

This is bad. First, "light" olive oil and other common oils have a different quality than EVOO, so you won't see those terms on a bottle of EVOO. It is also important to understand thatNoVarieties of olive oil have significant health benefits because they all have the same levels of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. As mentioned above, olive oil, whether EVOO or light flavored, is also NEVER extracted with chemical solvents. While EVOO offers the greatest health benefits, a consumer who prefers less assertive flavors or a lower price is better off using a milder olive oil than less healthy (and flavorless) cooking oils, most of which which are extracted by chemical solvents. All oils are healthy, but the more flavor, the more potential health benefits.

6:48-7:00

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You get a really good EVOO buying the ones I mentioned to you knowing that it is a single farm or single origin extra virgin olive oil and most of the stuff in the supermarket is fake except the ones I mentioned to you.

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This is not only incorrect, but also potentially harmful to the health of consumers. First, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of quality oils on the market. While we encourage people to enjoy olive oil at any price that suits their tastes and budget, it is important that consumers not be discouraged if they cannot afford to spend a small fortune on bottled or specialty olive oil. To say that grocery store olive oil is "fake" is a total hoax, especially when the only evidence for this is a decades-old report that includes a disclaimer that clearly says it's no longer relevant. The reality is that consumers need to trust the quality of olive oil, especially when buying from a retailer they trust and a brand they know. And always be careful when buying olive oil at a price that sounds too good to be true. If the consumer wants to try a brand that he does not know, it is best to take it home and try it immediately. If you don't like it, return it!