Claims Such as ‘Extra Virgin’ and ‘Cold Pressed’ on Olive Oil Packaging May Not Be Accurate: CFIA.

For years, Canadian food and nutrition experts have warned the public that their favorite cooking medium, olive oil, may be adulterated or “cut” with substandard oils. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) recent Food Fraud Annual Report for 2024-25 highlights this concern.

Here are some key points from the report:

Context: According to the CFIA, food fraud checks primarily ensure that a product matches what its label claims. For olive oil, this means confirming the type of oil, its composition, grade, or geographical claims. While failure to meet these standards doesn’t necessarily indicate a health risk, it does mean that consumers may not be receiving what they were promised, and the price paid may be significantly higher than the product’s true value.

Olive oil is a particular focus for the CFIA due to its inherent fraud risks, which include:

• Olive oil has a premium image.  
• It is priced higher than most other seed oils.  
• It travels through a lengthy international supply chain before reaching consumers.  
• Shoppers cannot judge purity or authenticity by appearance or taste alone; even trained tasters and laboratory analysts often rely on chemical and sensory tools to verify quality.  
• A bottle may look elegant, and a brand name may sound artisanal, yet the product could contain inferior quality oil compared to what the label indicates.

Experts suggest that this combination of factors presents an opportunity for unscrupulous suppliers to engage in substitution, dilution, and misleading labeling.

The 2024-25 CFIA report highlights four types of verification for olive oils:

• Authenticity testing (confirming the oil is derived from *Olea europaea* L.)  
• Checking for adulteration (presence of other oils or olive-pomace oil)  
• Detecting substitution or dilution with cheaper oils  
• Ensuring compliance with international standards such as CODEX CXS 33-1981 and IOC trade standards.

Process: The CFIA tested 886 samples (including honey and various types of cheese) for authenticity and misrepresentation. Of these, 246 were marketplace-monitoring samples collected at retail by an independent third party, while 640 were targeted inspectorate samples sourced up the supply chain, primarily from importers, packers, and suppliers distributing products in Canada.

Results: Of all the foods tested in the CFIA’s 2024-25 report, olive oils had the lowest compliance with Canadian food standards. Specifically, among the 85 olive oil samples collected for testing, 67% or 1 in 3 failed authenticity or labeling checks. This suggests the oils were either mixed with lower-quality oils or made false claims such as “extra virgin,” “cold pressed,” and “unrefined.”

What Does ‘Non-Compliance’ Mean?  

In simple terms, a non-compliant test result means a product failed its compositional analysis. This could mean undeclared adulteration, that the product does not match the claims on its label (such as “extra virgin,” “cold pressed,” or “single source”), or that it was produced in a location different from what the label indicates.

Grade claims are particularly significant for olive oil; terms like “extra virgin” command the highest prices and imply stringent sensory and chemical standards. So, while a particular oil brand may technically originate from olives, it may not qualify as “extra virgin” because of issues like oxidation, poor storage, or processing defects.

In some instances, CFIA tests may reveal adulteration or mixing with cheaper oils or refined olive oil (e.g., pomace) while the label advertises it as a “100% Pure” product. This discrepancy between the label and the actual contents is a primary concern in food fraud.

What Should You Look for When Buying Premium Olive Oil?

A practical first step is to watch for deals that seem too good to be true. If a bottle claims premium extra virgin status, single-origin sourcing, and recent-harvest quality at an unusually low price, be skeptical.

Packaging and freshness (date of production) are important indicators. Other aspects to consider include dark glass bottles, harvest dates, producer information, and clear origin details, all of which are good signs of a premium product that’s worth your money and trust.

Buying from retailers with strong turnover and from brands with established reputations for quality can also reduce the likelihood of purchasing stale or misrepresented oil.