“Knowing how to purchase high-quality olive oil actually takes some level of knowledge due to the higher rates of adulterated or rancid oils on the market,” says Crouch.
In order to increase your chances of scoring a high-quality olive oil, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
First, decide which type of oil you’d like to purchase. Remember that EVOO is considered the healthiest and highest quality olive oil. It has a distinctive flavor and aroma and contains the highest levels of beneficial polyphenol antioxidants30. Unfiltered EVOO contains more polyphenols than filtered EVOO, but it’s more prone to oxidation, which means it has a shorter shelf life.
Refined olive oils and products labeled “olive oil” are lower30 in vitamin E and other antioxidants due to the refinement process, but they have a higher smoke point than virgin olive oils.
Heat, oxygen, and light exposure can degrade the oil, so it’s best to choose olive oils in dark green28 or opaque containers.
Another tip is to look for a harvest date on the bottle. “You’ll find that most bottles don’t specify,” Armando Manni, olive oil producer and founder of Manni Oil, previously told mindbodygreen. Choosing an oil with a harvest or production date lets you know how long the oil has been sitting on the shelf.
Manni also suggests looking for oil with an organic seal and the DOP or PGI designation: DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin), while PIG stands for Protected Geographical Indication. “The DOP designation ensures that products are locally grown and packaged. It’s a guarantee that the food was made by local farmers and artisans, using traditional methods,” shares Manni. “Both designations provide quality assurance and indicate where the oil is coming from.”
Crouch recommends purchasing single-origin olive oils, and, if purchasing olive oil from California, to look for the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) Seal. Oils with the COOC Seal have passed strict quality assurance testing and are 100% California grown.
If you need a little more help picking out high-quality olive oil, check out this list of mindbodygreen’s top olive oil picks for 2023.
Jillian Kubala, MS, RD
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