The interesting part of that report is imported extra virgin olive oil is vastly more likely to be merely virgin due to refined or oxidized olive oil present, compared to California olive oils.
But then this research is also financed by the California Olive Oil Council, and also by the company of the best testing brand. So there's a possible conflict there, or it may be that they know they have better certification and monitoring therefore a better/more consistent product, than the name/top selling brands primarily sourcing from imported olive oil, and they're investing in research to quantify this.
Thank you!! In an earlier comment on another thread I bemoaned not publishing the brands that passed (or shaming the ones that didn't). This is what I was looking for.
sort of off topic: but i remember the days where pretty much anything ending in .edu was what you hit because you knew that it would be up. Especially UC Davis. Those days are over. :/
and on topic: I think it's great that the "Great Value" brand that many people turn their noses up at turned out to be one of the few that passed the UC Davis tests.
I mean, the way WalMart manages their supply chain, there's no guarantee it will continue to pass. If I remember correctly, Great Value Parmesan cheese was rated the worst (highest) level of wood pulp additives when tested vs other major brands.
> If I remember correctly, Great Value Parmesan cheese was rated the worst (highest) level of wood pulp additives when tested vs other major brands.
I buy that brand too and recommend it. The label clearly lists cellulose among the ingredients and it has a legitimate function as a decaking agent. At 7.8%, it did not have the highest cellulose level in that study, though it was close. I've bought grated parmesan with low levels of cellulose, and some of it's more clumpy. However, it seems the 4% brands have the right mix. WalMart's doubling that does seem to be working as a cheap filler. The cheese in it is actually parmesan though. Much more interesting in that study though was that some brands such as Market Pantry, Always Save, and Best Choice all contained absolutely no parmesan cheese at all.
Buying a brick of hard parmesan and grating it oneself is by far the best way to go, but cheap bottled stuff that isn't too bad is more convenient for kids to work with.
But then this research is also financed by the California Olive Oil Council, and also by the company of the best testing brand. So there's a possible conflict there, or it may be that they know they have better certification and monitoring therefore a better/more consistent product, than the name/top selling brands primarily sourcing from imported olive oil, and they're investing in research to quantify this.