PURCHASING CONSIDERATIONS

The USA has never adopted International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) standards and, therefore, lower quality olive oil may be labeled and sold as Extra Virgin, using the producers' own, undisclosed definition. California recently passed a law adopting IOOC standards and, hopefully, the US Department of Agriculture will follow to make this a nationwide law. If that happens, we will let you know on this web site. Many producers, like us, follow IOOC standards. When you see labels that say Extra Light, Pure, or just Olive Oil, you know they do not meet Extra Virgin standards of quality. These oil categories/names often contain "refined" olive oil.

Beware of "refined" olive oil. We do not refine the "waste" olive pulp that remains after centrifugal extraction, or the entire olive, like many large producers who extract the oil using a high heat and chemical refining process. Refining removes most of the antioxidants and polyphenols, the healthy benefits most people expect from olive oil. Bottles containing refined olive oil rarely disclose the use of this process or its impact on oil quality.

Dating of olive oil is important. Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age and eventually any type of food oil will turn rancid, caused by heat, light, and oxygen. Olives New Zealand suggests a two-year "best before date" from date of pressing and our labels show that dating. We have found two year dating for our oil is conservative and it regularly is good beyond that date. Bottles that do not disclose harvest or "best before" dating provide no means to determine how old the oil may be. So, buyer beware. You may be buying oil that has been in storage somewhere a long time. A few labels show a "release date" which has no importance. That oil may have been in storage a long time before being "released" for bottling.

Why take a chance on buying undated oil?