Buying Olive Oil From Supermarket? Buyer Beware!
Summary
- Expert in Gut Health warned olive oil lovers to read label first if buying olive oil from supermarkets.
- Mr Gut Health encourages shoppers to look for ‘unrefined’, ‘extra virgin olive oil’ from a ‘single source’ when checking olive oil labels.
- The provenance of extra virgin olive oil is vital in ensuring the best flavour and health benefits.
Contents
Tik Tok Sensation Mr Gut Health Shares Key Words To Look for On Olive Oil Label
Gut health guru Mr Gut Health has issued a warning to extra virgin olive oil lovers on the importance of reading the label when looking to buy the cooking oil from the supermarket.
According to the gut health guru, understanding the words on your olive oil bottle can help you avoid poor-quality, diluted oils and ensure you’re getting a product that’s fresh, pure, and packed with nutrients.
As summarised in The Mirror article;
Gut health aficionado Mr Gut Health, a regular sharer of his experiences with the Mediterranean diet on TikTok, points out three primary features indicative of authentic olive oil, deeming the first one most crucial.
Key Terms to Look For:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Indicates the highest quality, cold-pressed oil with no chemical processing.
- Single Source / Single Estate: This means the oil comes from one producer or region, ensuring traceability and consistent quality.
- Cold Extracted / Cold Pressed Olive Oil: This guarantees the oil was extracted without excessive heat, preserving its taste and nutritional value.
The specialist suggests: “If it says extra virgin, then it’s pretty much guaranteed.”,
Opting for an extra virgin olive oil should guarantee that the oil is unrefined, ensuring that it retains its natural taste, vitamins, and minerals, and is produced without employing heat or chemicals.
He also recommended looking out for labels saying: “Superior category olive oil obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means.”
This statement, he noted, assures that the oil’s nutrients are preserved during extraction.
The Importance Of Single Source Olive Oil
Single source olive oil isn’t just a marketing gimmick—it’s a marker of authenticity and quality. When olive oil comes from a single estate or region, you know exactly where it’s been produced, giving you peace of mind about its purity. Many supermarket olive oils are blends from multiple countries, raised to a standard that prioritises quantity over quality.
By opting for single source olive oil, you’re supporting sustainable farming practices and ensuring every drop you pour is truly premium.
Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is The Finest Quality
If there’s one takeaway from olive oil labels, it’s this: extra virgin olive oil is the gold standard. Why? Because it is the least processed form of olive oil, retaining the natural antioxidants and healthy fats that make olive oil so beneficial. Unlike refined oils, extra virgin olive oil is made without chemicals or heat, resulting in a robust and aromatic flavour profile.
Studies have linked extra virgin olive oil to numerous health benefits, from reducing inflammation to improving heart health. It’s no wonder it has been celebrated as the finest quality olive oil for centuries.
A Closer Look at Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil
One exceptional example of high-quality olive oil is Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This single estate oil is meticulously crafted in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, using only hand-picked olives. The olives are pressed within hours of harvest, ensuring unparalleled freshness.
Here’s how Morocco Gold stands out:
- Single Source: Produced exclusively in Morocco, traceable from grove to bottle.
- Cold-Pressed Goodness: Extracted without heat for maximum nutrition and flavour.
- Natural Purity: Free from additives and crafted with care.
Whether drizzled over a salad or used as a dip for warm bread, Morocco Gold delivers an unmatched richness that elevates every dish.
How Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Made
There’s a lot of debate about what makes the best olive oil. Some people swear by oils that are cold-pressed, while others prefer those that are harvested early in the season. But the quality of production is one of the most important factors that contribute to the quality of the oil. This is because it can ensure that the highest possible levels of polyphenol count is preserved in the process.
The high polyphenol content of Morocco Gold Extra Virgin olive oil is dependent on three factors. Firstly, the variety of the olive. Secondly, the climate and terroir of the growing region. Thirdly, the time in the growing season and the harvest of the crop.
The exceptionally high quality of Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is the result of care and attention to detail throughout the entire production process.
The specific soil conditions of Morocco’s Beni Mellal region, together with the mild winters and summers, caressed by hot winds from the Sahara, make ideal growing conditions for Morocco Gold olives. The existence of centenary trees and traditional presses (maasras) testify to the longevity of olive cultivation in this area.
Ground work and tillage is carried out once or twice a year: once in winter to facilitate rainwater infiltration into the soil, and in spring to rotate the soil.
Planting is done at the beginning of spring. There is some permitted intercropping of cereals, also almond trees, that contribute to the hint of almonds in Morocco Gold. In addition to natural rainfall, which is generally sufficient in the geographical area, trees are irrigated as needed during the period of vegetation of the olive tree, normally until the end of September.
Fruiting sizing and assessment of the maturity of the olive is carried out annually. The planned date of harvest is agreed based on the maturity index of the olives, also the generations of experience of the olive farmers. Harvesting will then normally take place between the end of October and beginning of December.
Morocco Gold olives are harvested by hand using flexible combs. Nets and tarpaulins are placed on the ground to avoid contact between the olives and the ground. . Our olives are picked when the fruit is young and green. As the olives age on the tree, the colour of the olive changes to red and then black. The olive increases in size producing more oil, but the polyphenol level decreases. Within the farming community there is long experience. Furthermore, to maximise the polyphenol levels we harvest our olives at the optimum time.
Aerated boxes are used for the immediate transport of the harvested olives from the orchard to the crushing unit. On receipt, the olives are checked to ensure their quality, in particular color and appearance, any defective or malformed olives.
The olives will then pass through a stripper to removes any impurities. They are then washed and drained before processing. Leaf stripping and washing eliminate impurities, whether of vegetable origin such as leaves, twigs or mineral matter such as dust, earth, stones and other solids. Washing not only improves the quality of the product but also extraction efficiency.
Extraction of oil is carried out in a two-phase continuous process. This minimizes handling of the olives and maintains strict control of hygiene.
Grinding of the olives is carried out using a metal hammer mill which is made of stainless steel. The paste obtained then undergoes a kneading or malaxation process which is the fundamental operation to separate the solid and liquid phases. This kneading operation is carried out for 40 to 50 minutes at temperatures not exceeding 28 ° C. In this way, the extracted oil may be labeled: cold-extracted oil or cold pressed oil.
The well-kneaded dough is sent to a horizontal decanter where the continuous and simultaneous separation of the oil and wet cakes is achieved by a combination of centrifugal force and of the rotation of a conveyor screw which rotates inside the bowl.
The time between harvest and pulping does not exceed 48 hours. Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is unfiltered to retain all of it’s natural properties and goodness. Nothing is added or taken away so that it is the result of the soil, the sun and the rain only.
The Bottom Line: Why It’s Worth Reading The Olive Oil Label
Reading the label on supermarket olive oil isn’t just a good habit—it’s an essential step for anyone who values flavour, health, and authenticity. Equip yourself with the knowledge to identify high-quality oils, and consider single source, extra virgin olive oil like Morocco Gold for a truly exceptional experience.
Taste the difference today. Better ingredients make better meals—start with the right olive oil!
So next time you’re at the supermarket, take a moment to read the label on your olive oil before making a purchase. You’ll not only be ensuring that you’re getting the best quality product, but also supporting sustainable and ethical farming practices.