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The industry needs major TLC.

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What to know

The olive oil industry has had a history of problems, including mislabeling, adulteration with inferior refined oils, and failing to meet minimum sensory standards.

Sources

Bad blends

Adulterated olive oils can contain a blend of​ inferior quality vegetable oils​ like soybean oil, sunflower oil, palm oil or canola oil.

Olive oil can go bad during a variety of commercial production processes.

i. Olive oil becomes ​moldy​ when the olives have been crushed with dirt and mud.
ii. Old ​or​ rancid​ olive oils (often characterized by a wax crayon-like taste) are the result of inadequate storage and exposure to damaging light, heat or air.
iii. A ​grubby ​or​ dirty​ tasting olive oil is likely contaminated by larvae. When olive flies lay eggs in developing olives, the larvae feeds on the pulp—and end up getting processed into the oil.
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Keys to Authenticity

Bottles

Look for bottles made of UV-​protected glass (like Brightland)​ or ​stainless steel.

Words

Be wary of meaningless terms on labels,​ like light, pure, refined, virgin, first cold-press.

Harvest

A ​Harvest Date​ on your bottle is a key indicator of transparency and quality. Brightland oils are all currently from the Nov. 2020 Harvest.