Monday, January 6, 2014

The Myths about Bertolli Olive Oil: Debunked


MYTH 1: Bertolli is an Italian Olive Oil.

FALSE.

While Bertolli olive oil is packaged in Italy, the majority of the olives come from Spain or other countries. Only about 20% of their olives come from Italy.
(Source: Extra Virginity, by Tom Mueller)


MYTH 2: Bertolli’s Olive Oils that are marketed as “Extra Virgin” are, in fact, extra virgin.

FALSE.

In a study conducted by the UC Davis Olive Center, the Bertolli “Extra Virgin” Olive Oil did NOT meet any of the three standards used to test “Extra Virgin” quality, including standards set by the USDA and the IOC (International Olive Council). Instead, the oil only achieved “virgin” grade status, which implies a much lower quality. This means that Bertolli has been defrauding the public with their misleading advertising. Frankly, I’m surprised that there haven’t been any repercussions for Bertolli. They are flat-out lying about the quality of their olive oil.
While the government has chosen to ignore this blatant, misleading advertising (which should be illegal if it isn’t already), you can do your part to stop food fraud by boycotting Bertolli brand foods.



I'm not just trying to pick on Bertolli, though. As you can see on the chart, supermarket megabrand Filippo Berio also markets its oil as extra virgin, when by two separate standards it should be labeled as just virgin. 

For the full report by the UC Davis Olive Center, click here.


MYTH 3: Despite all this, Bertolli is still a good-tasting olive oil.

FALSE.

I’ll admit, this one is mostly my own opinion. But if you’ve ever had good quality olive oil, you’d know that Bertolli is a tasteless, inferior “oil” (I wouldn’t even give it the word “olive” in its label) that should really just be used in oil lamps (called lampante in Italy).
As defined by the International Olive Council, the three main flavors in a genuine extra virgin olive oil should be (to varying degrees):
1.       Pepperiness
2.       Bitterness
3.       Fruitiness
A flavorless, bland olive oil is by definition not extra virgin. If you don’t believe me, go buy a bottle of Bertolli and taste for yourself. Is it peppery? Do you taste any hint of fruit? Is it bitter? While these terms are undoubtedly subjective, anyone with taste buds can tell that Bertolli olive oil has no clear taste of any of the three IOC flavor profiles.
If you're still skeptical, go online to McEvoy Ranch’s website. (They are an olive oil producer out of Petaluma, California; cultivating Italian olive varietals.) Purchase a bottle of their Olio Nuovo, wait for it to arrive in your mail, then taste it alongside Bertolli’s oil. I don’t think anything else needs to be said.

For a list of great olive oil providers in North America, click here.



Note: While reading Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller, I read about how large olive oil companies would sue outspoken food critics (and even experts) for criticizing their products. So, despite the scientific evidence that points to Bertolli’s misleading advertising and obvious inferiority, I would like to state that this is my OPINION only. You can deduce the truth for yourself.
(Basically­ – please don’t sue me for libel, olive oil companies!)


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