ANYONE CAN LEARN TO RECOGNIZE AN EXCELLENT ITALIAN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL!
A 1996 study by the FDA found that 96% of the olive oils they tested, while being labeled 100%, had been diluted with other oils. A study in Italy found that only 40% of the brands labeled "extra virgin" actually met those standards. Italy produces 400,000 tons of olive oil for domestic consumption, but 750,000 are sold. The difference is made up with highly refined nut and seed oils.
If you want to find healthy and high-quality olive oil, you should focus on some very important things before heading to your local gourmet store to buy a bottle:
What should I read on the label? One of the most significant pieces of information is the date of harvest together with the expiration date. Did you know that olive oil loses fruitiness and flavor as it ages and after maximum two years from the harvest it will be oxidized and rancid? Toss out and replace bottles which you have had for over a year and a half.
The importance of packaging. A dark bottle, a bottle wrapped in foil, a bottle packaged in cardboard or wooden box is a MUST to preserve the quality because it must be kept away from direct light whenever possible.
Is the color important? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Official tasters always use dark glasses so that their sense is not influenced by the color. Many times oils are chemically manipulated to be greener because customers believe that greener oil is better. This is just not true!