FAQ: EVOO Fraud

Can you explain all of this widespread fraud in the extra virgin olive oil industry? 

Lately it seems like the media has been focused on the fraud occurring in the olive oil industry. A book titled Extra Virginity sort of sparked the fire exposing all of the fraud. 60 minutes aired a segment on it, the reputable New York Times designed an infographic about it, United States Congress has directed the FDA to test imported olive oils...the list goes on. 

The Olive Center at UC Davis published a report in 2010 which found that more than 70 percent of olive oils found on shelves are considered fake. In response to a large amount of feedback, they conducted another report in 2011 casting a smaller net and testing only several brands in hopes to improve the analysis of each brand. Instead, they found the samples to be just as bad, if not worse, than the first round. 

At Stamatopoulos & Sons, we are fully aware of the ongoing, overwhelming fraud in the olive oil industry and acknowledge its presence by proving that our olive oil is certified extra virgin by The Olive Center at UC Davis. They tested 186 olive oil samples total, so what better testing facility than theirs to test our olive oil?  Click here for our certification papers and test results. Our olive oil is fresh, processed within four hours, monovarietal, and we never use rancid oils, unlike other companies.