10 of the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Brands: The Real Thing
Widely known as “liquid gold,” extra virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest fats in the world.
However, that is providing you use the real thing.
Sadly, there have been many fake olive oil scandals in recent years.
As part of this, some olive oil companies have been supplying non-virgin olive oil, yet labeling their product as “extra virgin.”
"Olive Oil Field"
"Zoe Organic Olive Oil"
Worse still, some manufacturers have been cutting their product with cheaper oils such as soybean and sunflower oil.
So, the question is; which extra virgin olive oil is real?
In this article, we will list 10 of the best, most reliable, authentic extra virgin olive oil brands.
That way, you can feel confident that what you buy is what you are getting – as it always should be.
What Does “Real” Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mean?
“Real” extra virgin olive oil means two things;
- First, the oil should be the 100% pure juice extracted from the olive fruit. This extraction should be by mechanical means only, such as a press or centrifuge and it should involve no chemicals.
- Secondly, the oil must then be bottled with nothing else added – only pure olive oil.
In addition to meeting these two criteria, the oil should also comply with international standards for extra virgin olive oil.
To be specific, the International Olive Council states that extra virgin olive oil must have (1);
“a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.8 grams per 100 grams, and the other characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in the IOC standard.”
