oil

Yikes!

UC-Davis's Olive Oil Chemistry Lab—turns out there is such a thing—says it has discovered that more than two-thirds of random samples of imported extra-virgin olive oil are rancid or adulterated with lesser oils. "It's like we have our own CSI: Olive Oil lab here," chemist Charles Shoemaker told NPR, and given the scale of the crime he has seemingly uncovered, his words seem entirely appropriate. Here's NPR on the "mounting concern over truth-in-olive-oil-labeling," as well as the possibility that California's olive growers could have biased Shoemaker's study.

That's why I'm always extra careful with oils, but at most restaurants this is a luxury. I usually ask for things to be cooked in butter, since it's fairly obvious when it's rancid. The last thing anyone needs is rancid PUFAs or corn oil. This is one issue where I'd like to see extra scruntiny in the food system, either from the government or a private certification system. It's going to be hard to consumers to discern the quality of an oil given that most can't visit Italy and nobody has a lipid lab in their kitchen.

Do you buy your fruit oils from a good supplier? Let me know in the comments!