How popular olive oil brands fared in Calif. researchers’ study on ‘extra virgin’ quality

By AP
Thursday, July 15, 2010

How brands fared in olive oil study by researchers

A study by researchers from the University of California, Davis, found many of the olive oils lining supermarket shelves in the United States are not the top-grade extra-virgin oils their labels proclaim. It analyzed samples from 19 randomly selected, widely distributed brands purchased from retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles.

The study found that 69 percent of imported oils and 10 percent of domestic oils sampled did not meet the international standards that define the pure, cold-pressed, olive oils that deserve the extra virgin title. Three samples of each imported oil and two samples of each domestic oil were tested.

Here’s a look at how the olive oil brands fared in the study:

IMPORTED OLIVE OILS:

Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Two out of three samples failed.

Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Three of three samples failed.

Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Three of three samples failed.

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Two of three samples failed.

Star Extra Virgin Olive Oil: One of three samples failed.

Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Three of three samples failed.

Newman’s Own Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Two of three samples failed.

Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Three of three samples failed.

Mazola Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Three of three samples failed.

Rachael Ray Extra Tasty Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Two of three samples failed.

Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil: All samples passed.

Great Value 100 percent Extra Virgin Olive Oil: One of three samples failed.

Safeway Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Two of three samples failed.

365 Everyday Value 100 percent Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Two of three samples failed.

DOMESTIC OLIVE OILS:

Corto Olive Extra Virgin Olive Oil: All samples passed.

California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil: All samples passed.

McEvoy Ranch Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil: All samples passed.

Bariani Olive Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil: One of two samples failed.

Lucero (Ascolano) Extra Virgin Olive Oil: All samples passed.

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