How do you know you’re getting the purest olive oil? Go to the source. 

Madhava sheds light on what really goes into organic extra virgin olive oil.

Olive oil is one of the most trusted, versatile kitchen staples found in practically every kitchen. Grocery aisles glitter with hundreds of shiny bottles, many of which are convincingly labeled as “natural,” “organic” and “extra virgin,” and sold at a wide range of price points. But how do you really know what’s in each bottle?

The Problem A few years ago, one of the most shocking food scams hit the newsstands: Not all olive oils were exactly what their artful labels claimed them to be. The olive oil market, in the United States especially, had been flooded with low-quality, falsely-marked oils that were either much lower quality olive oils, blends of lesser vegetable oils cleverly disguised by coloring and scent, or in the worst cases, oils made from old, rancid olives. The latter were so processed and refined that the resulting oil was tasteless, colorless and potentially dangerous to consume.

In some cases, low price was a dead giveaway that the product most likely was inferior, but as more independent testing began to shed light on the scam, even higher-end, well-known brands were found to have mixed, adulterated oils in their bottles. Olive oil fraud even embroiled a major brand in a major class action lawsuit, which was eventually settled. While the EU has created a working group to address the problem, and the Italian parliament passed an extremely rigid law regarding olive oil quality, the same restrictions don’t apply in the U.S., where the FDA has as yet to adopt stricter standards on olive oil imports. So, what’s the average consumer to do?

Know the source. Because we stand behind the purity and quality of all Madhava products, we took the time to seek out and partner with organic  farmers who practice the core values we believe in: doing good for people and for the earth. Thus, we sourced our deliciously pure, golden olive oil from small farms in the Mediterranean, all certified 100% organic. 

To back up our claim of purity, we partnered with the Clean Label Project, an independent testing organization, so that you can trust our olive oil is what we say it is: Organic and Extra Virgin. We test every batch for authenticity to avoid any risk of adulteration and to confirm our dedication to clean and simple ingredients in all of our products. And that’s assurance for us as well as you, the consumer. Many brands may test their olive oil batches periodically, and that’s a great first step, but most won’t spend the money or time on continuous testing. We’re a bit obsessive when it comes to the quality of our products. And that’s what sets us apart. 

One in 12 olive oils labeled “extra virgin” did not pass authenticity standards from the International Olive Council for extra virgin (Ellipse Analytics). Madhava is consistently tested and proven to be pure, 100% organic, extra virgin olive oil, with no contaminants.

On top of authenticity, the Clean Label Project also performed a full battery of purity and antioxidant superiority tests, not only to prove that our olive oil is in fact, extra virgin, but to also show that it contains little to no  contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals and other industrial pollutants. Madhava passed with flying colors, showing zero detectable presence of heavy metals, pesticides or BPA. As a reference, one in eight of the other brand samples tested showed traces of pesticides.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The best ingredients come from nature and don’t need to be fooled around with.

We’ve always believed in the power of clean, simple ingredients, taken from nature, for the overall health of people and the planet. Our olive oil is no exception. Don’t be fooled by fakes and imitators, learn more about Madhava olive oil here.