1 hour ago, Smithy said:
Here's the topic I think you meant. It was an eye-opener for me as well. Adulterated Olive Oil Fraud
This is a subject in which I'm very interested. I participated in the linked discussion and just had to jump in here as well.
In January, 60 Minutes did a story about olive oil fraud in Italy. The problem may be more widespread and more serious than some people thought.
In the above-linked discussion at least one person said that s/he could tell good oil from bad, but that doesn't seem to be the case for most people, and I doubt that this person could always discern real oil from counterfeit or adulterated oil. For example, Cook's Illustrated does tasting tests, and some time ago they tested extra virgin olive oil. At least one of their highly rated and recommended oils has been shown to be counterfeit, or at least not up to the standards of real extra virgin oil. CI holds themselves out to do rigorous testing, yet they were unable to detect crap from the good stuff.
Once again, I strongly suggest that most people buy and use well-regarded California extra virgin olive oil. Some have complained that they don't live in California and therefore cannot get these oils. In fact, many of these oils are available nationwide, or at least in most parts of the US.
I sometimes buy the TJ's California Estate EVOO and have found it to be quite acceptable. In fact, I may pick up a bottle today ... it's definitely a good, every day oil.
If you care about quality olive oil, here's a site you might want to visit: http://www.bestoliveoils.com/
