A friend brought this to my attention
http://explo-re.com/the-14-fake-olive-oil-companies/
The study was done in USA and since many of the listed ‘oils’ are sold in Australia have testing been done here…
Yes Choice has tested quite a few brands . I’m sure someone on forum will provide the links .
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thank you!
Sometimes it’s easy to lose track of all the surveys
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Your welcome . Anytime , no probs at all .
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Olive oil testing is in the 2010 Shonkys.
It says that some brands of EVOO are not up to standard. Particular brands are not mentioned but it concludes that Oz grown are mostly OK and those imported from Italy and Spain can be suspect for lack of purity or freshness.
“…a consumer’s best bet for finding a true virgin is to go for the home-grown …” I always knew that was right.
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Some commentary referencing the Choice 2010 test
But the 2010 test that is referenced seems to have been removed or archived as it does not show in a Choice site search. But I found it as a pdf, linked here!
Caveat: Things can change over 7 years.
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thank you!
Not that long ago…
Time for me to go back and buy oil from an importer …
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It is interesting that the recent test that introduced this topic rates Bertolli and Collavita as “fake”. The 2010 Choice test rated these two down the bottom of the list for quality - but not for price.
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I’m no expert on olive oils but an old Italian couple , who were my neighbours for many years , gave me some good advice . " The older the Grape the younger the Olive ". They told me to look for good locally produced Extra Virgin Olive oil as imported products would not be as fresh as local due to shipping time . They had their own olive trees and when they pressed the olives , within hours of being picked , they would drop a few bottles in .
Nothing you can buy could come near their produce . Thick , full flavoured with goodness , a treat I will always remember .
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We’re actually working on a new olive oil test at the moment. Stay tuned for more
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Seven years is a long time… much might have changed. I don’t use de Bortoli. Seeing on the bottom of the list does not make me run out and buy it.
When I look at electrical reviews… ‘nothing to mention’ gets me every time. Even if it costs a bit more.
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Hi Brendan! Looking forward to reading it… Use of the Spanish Olive oils that I get when it’s on sale at the shops… otherwise will be running back to the importer. Costs more, cannot use it in cooking just in dressing…
Supermarket Oilive Oil gets used for everything.
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Also be careful in assuming that any results in the US apply directly in Australia. Unless the supply chain and associated conditions the oil is exposed to (e.g. from olives farm…to processor…production storage…transport…distribution/warehouse storage…transport…retailer storage…), are all the same, the results in Australia could be different.
It will be interesting to see Choice’s tests for comparison.
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Although some things are universal or believed to be so, tastes across the world vary and products, natural as well as manufactured, are tailored to specific markets. Thus an [American | British | French | German | Japanese | Vietnamese| Indian | et al] report could be quite misleading to someone from another locality, at the best of times.
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some of the Oils were graded as the worst … USA now says they are fake… when something is at the bottom, it’s a great reason not to purchase
I only brought it to attention and wanted to know if we’ve done anything recently… not same but an indication…
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I am at a loss as to who would be buying olive oil from overseas sources …?!? We make pretty darned good stuff locally … and let’s not even start on “food miles” !!!
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Why at a loss?
Australian Olive Oil industry is still relatively young and we are still learning
Most of the high end restaurants serve imported olive oils and I buy when I can afford from the importer who supplies restaurants… I get rice and vinegars from him as well
Food miles on fresh produce absolutely… that’s what farmers markets are for
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Interesting … we’ve been buying Aussie oils now for about 9 years … and wouldn’t have any other … ah well. Works for us!!!
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Even then, unless you have total control of production, growth and bottling, you can never be sure that you’re getting extra virgin. There is always someone along the way who’ll be more than happy to mess up your production run for their own gain.
Guess we can get olives from a reputable farmer or grow them our selves and then press them for oil 
Love Italian imported one … it’s so green!!
Noticed at the shops. that some buy light and think that it’s healthy… sadly they don’t understand that it’s light on oil.
