Olive Oil Guide

Public

How to buy legit Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Here are some small pieces of advice that can guide your choices when choosing EVOO.

#	Content	Link	Section	Status	Visibility	Source
1	Olive oil is perishable. The fresher the olive oil, the better its taste and its nutritional value.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
2	Look for a harvest date on the bottle, preferably within the last 18 months. This indicates when the olives were picked.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
3	Not all bottles have this, but if present, it’s a good indication that the product is of high quality.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
4	A ‘best by’ date, while useful, is not necessarily the most meaningful piece of information. It serves more as an estimation of the consumption timeline, or how long the olive oil will last under optimal storage conditions.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
5	Exposure to light and oxygen can seriously degrade the olive oil.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
6	Always look for packaging that protects the product.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
7	The optimal choice would be a dark glass bottle, tin containers or other opaque packaging.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
8	Check for bottles with a tight seal to avoid air exposure.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
9	Avoid transparent packaging.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
10	After opening, store the oil in a cool, dark spot, and ensure it's tightly sealed to limit exposure to oxygen.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
11	Different olive oils have different flavors, quality, nutritional value.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
12	The term “Extra Virgin” on the label is critical if you want the highest quality.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
13	Extra Virgin Olive Oil undergoes an extraction process without heat or chemicals, solely with mechanical means.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
14	It adheres to strict internationally recognized standards, evaluated both chemically and by expert sensory panels.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
15	Look for seals from reputable organizations. They serve as an additional control mechanism of quality and adherence to specific production standards.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
16	In the US these might include:	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
17	the California Olive Oil Council (COOC)	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
18	the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA)	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
19	Other seals fall under the European Union “Protected Designation of Origin” program (PGI, PDO).	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
20	These certify that the olive oil has been produced in the specified region, usually according to the region’s traditional methods.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
21	A sign of a good EVOO is details about the place of origin.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
22	As a rule of thumb, single origin olive oils are usually better than blends from multiple regions.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
23	Be careful of words like ‘Product of’ on the label	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
24	While not necessarily misleading, these might refer to the bottling location - not the place of growth.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
25	Look for abbreviations of the country of origin on the back of the bottle	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
26	These might include IT for Italy, GR for Greece, ES for Spain.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
27	Beware of terms like ‘pure’ and ‘light’.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
28	While they don’t necessarily mean that the olive oil is bad, they usually mean that the olive oil has been refined.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
29	These terms are not legally regulated (while ‘Extra Virgin’ is) and they don’t convey any meaningful information about the quality of the olive oil.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
30	The more info there is on the back label, the better.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
31	Look for things like Free fatty acidity (FFA)	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
32	the lower, the better	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
33	EVOO should have FFA<0.8	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
34	Less frequently, you might find indications about the polyphenol levels	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
35	Polyphenol content in EVOOs typically ranges between 50 and 2000 mg/kg in EVOOs. Polyphenols are credited with many of the health benefits linked with EVOO such as antioxidant properties and cardiovascular health support.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
36	EVOOs with higher polyphenol concentration also tend to have a more intense, bitter flavor.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
37	Keep in mind however that measuring polyphenols in olive oil is far from trivial and their concentration decreases over time.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai
38	As a rule of thumb, the more details on the back label, the better. They signal a desire for transparency by the producer. Details about the olive variety and the location of the farm provide more insight into the product's authenticity and quality.	—	—	—	inherit	listhub.globalbr.ai

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