Olive Oil: What's Real and What's Fake?

The idea that many olive oils out there on the market are fake is not new to me. In fact I first heard about this issue over a year ago. A New York Times article called 'Slippery Business' educated a lot of Americans about what's really going on in the olive oil business. It makes me really angry. People - like me - buy extra virgin olive oil or any olive oil for the health benefits and taste. Why can't people just sell what they say they are selling?


Last week NPR once again brought this disturbing issue back to my mind. A man named Tom Mueller has written a book called Extra Virginity: the Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. I plan to buy this book and read it. He also has a website dedicated to letting people know who the real, honest olive oil growers are and who are the crooks - evidently there is a lot of fraud in this business. It makes me so mad I don't know what to do! I wonder, are my favorite brands, Napoleon and Athia fake or are they real olive oils? One never really knows. Thank goodness for those willing to step forward and investigate these things.