Bulk olive oil: The myth of purity!
Text: Dr Vassilis Dimopoulos and Anna Miloni from the Kalamata Olive Oil Tasting Workshop
Photo: Shutterstock
The details of the National Bank of Greecs's sector study on olive oil show that of the total annual olive oil production, we ourselves (Greeks) consume 75% and export the remaining 25%. Of this 75%, two-thirds we buy in bulk and only the remaining third bottled. In other words, despite the impression that more and more Greek olive oil is being bottled, the numbers tell another story: most of us still buy olive oil in tin cans. As in all olive producing countries, olive oil is a traditional product with an inherent relationship with our diet and culture. But the way we treat a traditional product is mainly utilitarian: we need the oil for cooking and we take olive oil for granted. We buy it because we need it and not to for gastronomic pleasure.
Because of this, buying in bulk seem the logical thing to do. Around 50% of Spaniards and almost 40% of Italians do the same. In consumer preference studies in Greece, respondents consider bulk olive oil is purer and of higher quality than bottled oil. This of course is a myth.
By definition, a bulk product cannot guarantee its quality. In fact, in 2003 the Laboratory of Chemistry and Food analysis of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, after analysis of samples of bulk olive oil, found that only 30% could be classified as extra virgin, while the other samples were either lower grade olive oils or unfit for human consumption.
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