Green Olive Oil

In the November 2009 edition of your circular distributed by the Chico Enterprise-Record you made an error in your "Did You Know" excerpt on olive oil color.

While your assertion that the color of olive oil has little to do with quality is correct, you missed the point...green olive oil is NOT the result of leaves being pressed.

Here are the facts:

1) All olive oils will turn yellow with exposure to light over time. Exposure to light degrades the polyphenols in olive oil...polyphenols are one of the providers of health benefits in extra virgin olive oil according to recent studies. Everyone should by extra virgin olive oil packaged in dark glass to maximize these potential health benefits. If one is consuming an imported green olive oil packaged in clear glass it is likely that it has been dyed with chlorophyll.
2) Typically, green olive oil (appropriately packaged, of course!) is the product of early harvest, green olives. These olives will produce an oil with grassy, spicy and sometimes bitter flavors. These also typically have the highest polyphenol levels.
3) Yellow extra virgin olive oils (again, properly packaged) are typically the product of late harvest (purple) fruit. These oils often have a milder, buttery taste profile.
4) Buyers need to be aware that the USA has no meaningful labeling standards for olive oil. The term "extra virgin" has no defined commercial meaning in the USA. As a result, numerous unscrupulous importers have been caught blending substandard olive oils or even non-olive oils and labeling them as EVOO. In order to ensure that consumers are getting what they are paying for when purchasing EVOO, they should look for certification from the California Olive Oil Council, Australian Olive Council or a similar reputable body.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or clarifications. California Olive Ranch, the company which I manage, is the largest producer of olive oil in North America. We exclusively produce oils that exceed all worldwide standards for extra virgin.

Please visit our website at http://www.californiaoliveranch.com.