Olive Oil ** Slippery Business: The Trade in Adulterated Olive Oil

[Guest guest]

Howdy Ien,

 

> OK, I have the bottle right here.

> Western Family brand, cold pressed extra virgin,

> imported from Italy, created for Overwaitea foods..

 

Western Family Foods (Portland, OR) has been around since the early

60s .. there are dozens and dozens of links to them on the I-Net .. a

few are:

 

http://www.westernfamily.com/products/index.shtml

 

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/product-compint-0000325918-page.html

 

http://www.business.com/directory/food_and_beverage/distributors_and_wholesalers\

/

 

> On the back it just has some information

> about how Olive oil may get cloudy if it gets cold.

> I don't see anything about other ingredients.

 

I am still using the Turkish Olive Oil I brought back with me so I

haven't had a need to purchase any in the USA .. but I have looked at

labels on some at Kroger and other places and all of them have a label

for Nutrition Facts .. and some indicate where the oil was packed and

from which countries the oil came from .. often it is a mixture of

oils from 4-5 countries.

 

> Does this mean it is OK, or just that they are

> lying?

 

I doubt it they are lying .. but they might not be telling the whole

truth. ;-) Some things we can purchase for the lowest price ..

regardless of brand .. and get the same product .. like butter. Not

so with all canned and frozen vegetables and never so with Extra

Virgin Olive Oil .. for cooking one can maybe go with an off brand

Virgin Olive Oil but for salads and other uncooked uses .. you can't

go wrong paying for the best that you can get in your neck of the

woods. Its kinda like the USDA categories of beef .. there are 17 of

them and all are supposedly safe .. but there is a big difference in

the prices so it just depends on how much quality and taste one wants

to pay for.

 

I reckon its also like Kentucky Straight Bourbons and Tennessee Sour

Mash Whiskey .. there are 68 brands of Kentucky Bourbon on the market

... Jim Beam and Old Bardstown and Rebel Yell are cheap and they will

do the same thing as the more costly and higher quality Wild Turkey or

Makers Mark .. so its a matter of what one wants to pay. Tennessee

Whiskeys are a different matter in that there are only 2 on the

market, Jack Daniel's and George Dickel .. those who are willing to

pay more for the highest quality go with Jack Daniel's Black or

Gentleman Jack .. George Dickel is for the other 90% of the people.

;-)

 

> Gosh, being a savvy consumer is turning into

> a full time job!

 

Always has been .. but its a bit easier now that they put Nutrition

labels on products and cost per ounce on the shelves where various

sizes and brands of products are stored.

 

> Ien in the Kootenays

> http://freegreenliving.com

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

[Guest guest]

Hi Nikie,

 

Yeah, I'm not sure about the regulations here either.

 

I'm currently using my olive oil in skin care, as opposed to soaps - don't

plan to embark on that ship until late LATE next year - skincare takes up so

much of my headspace atm. LOL.

 

WHere do you get your oils tested? Is it expensive?

 

TIA!

Susanna

 

On Nov 18, 2007 11:03 AM, Nikie Brown <nbrown wrote:

 

> I don't know about Australia, but here you can check on the FDA list for

> adulturated oil. I bought some that said 100% Olive Oil. It had olives

> on the front of the can. I was making soap with it and my soap was

> coming out funky. I had it tested and it was mostly Soybean Oil!! I

> turned them into the FDA and I believe they are now on the FDA list as

> well. Even if it says 100% Olive Oil and everything looks " kosher " , you

> might want to have it tested.

>

> HTH,

[Guest guest]

I worked for the HO of OWT foods, and it is quite amazing how much is

done behind the scenes in grocery retail that you are never aware of.

If you have concerns, call the 800# on the grocery bag, or email the

Overwaitea Food Group's Head Office to voice your concerns :-)

I think Canadian labeling is like the US for having to label if it is a

blend etc. But it is true that you have to watch your own backside on

this issue :-)

 

HTH

Shelley

 

Ieneke van Houten wrote:

> OK, I have the bottle right here.

> Western Family brand, cold pressed extra virgin,

> imported from Italy, created for Overwaitea foods..

>

>

[Guest guest]

In Canada (BC & Alberta), Western Family is the house brand of

Overwaitea and SaveOnFoods.... don't know if they are affiliated with

the Portland Co. The one listed on Ien's container is from Western

Family Foods, Vancouver, BC.

Shelley

 

Butch Owen wrote:

> Western Family Foods (Portland, OR) has been around since the early

> 60s .. there are dozens and dozens of links to them on the I-Net .. a

> few are:

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Shelley! I am a fanatical label reader,

have been for years, so I'll just keep doing that.

The junk in some so-called health foods like

Yves cuisine is mindboggling.

 

Ien in the Kootenays

http://freegreenliving.com (blog)