[09bjb]

Canola is a branding name to distract you from the fact that the oil is technically from the nearly un-marketable "rapeseed".

[cameronh90]

In the UK, we call it rapeseed oil.

[undersuit]

>In 1985, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized rapeseed and canola as two different species, based on their content and uses.

[SquareWheel]

Canola is a genetic evolution of rapeseed. They are not the same thing.

[undersuit]

Meh, it's all just Rapeseed. No one considers Granny Smith apples to be a different species from Red Delicious cultivars.

[Klonoar]

...I mean, we do though? There's definitely differences in the products and you wouldn't necessarily sub them 1:1 in some things.

[undersuit]

But we don't.

Canola is a trademark for a seed oil with low erucic acid, but it's still rapeseed oil, just like Cosmic Crisp is still just an apple.

[unbalancedevh]

Being low in erucic acid is a significant difference, making it more marketable. It isn't "just" rapeseed oil.

And Granny Smith apples are green. I don't think anyone would ever mistake one for a Red Delicious apple.

[undersuit]

But it's all just apples and rapeseed oil, it's not like apples and oranges.

[undersuit]

I'm wrong. I disagree with the government decision that led to this but I'm still technically wrong.

>In 1985, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized rapeseed and canola as two different species, based on their content and uses.

Biology by Bureaucracy.

[exhilaration]

Can you provide some links about this? I always assumed that canola and rapeseed were synonymous.

[SquareWheel]

It looks to be covered in the opening paragraph of the Wikipedia article.

> Canola are a group of rapeseed cultivars which were bred to have very low levels of erucic acid and are especially prized for use as human and animal food.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed

They are of course very similar products, but it's not a mere branding difference as the parent comment suggested.