That $30 Bottle of Olive Oil Has a Dirty Secret
Olive oil prices are surging due to a perfect storm of historic droughts in Europe and widespread, sophisticated fraud. Here’s what’s really in your bottle.
By Foodie Pundit Newsroom - Published - Updated - Section: Agriculture Supply
Key points
- The price of olive oil has more than doubled due to historic droughts in Spain and Italy, which have crippled global production.
- Widespread fraud is a major problem, with low-grade "lampante" oil being chemically refined and passed off as extra virgin.
- Consumers can no longer trust price as a guarantee of quality and must look for harvest dates and third-party certification seals.
- Real extra virgin olive oil should have a peppery, slightly bitter taste, which is a sign of healthy polyphenols often absent in fake oils.
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Sources and methodology
Reported from the public datasets below.
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