Stiftung Warentest Every second olive oil is only deficient

Olive oil is healthy. It is used for salads, for refining mediterranean dishes and for frying. The healthy oil is meanwhile in fasting all German households resident. There are great differences in quality, as currently a study by Stiftung Warentest shows. The grade "natively extra" actually stands for the highest quality - but as the testers report, this promise is only rarely observed. Instead, many oils in the test achieved only a poor rating.

"Nativ extra" stands for highest quality
Olive oil is considered healthy and valuable for the daily diet and is used in almost every kitchen regularly for the preparation of hot and cold dishes. The label "nativ extra" should point the consumer to a particularly high quality oil. But in many cases, this is obviously a fallacy, because as the Stiftung Warentest currently informs, many products do not meet the required criteria. Thus, for 13 of the 26 olive oils tested in the highest grade (5.35 to 40 euros per liter) only a "Poor" could be awarded, only one product could actually convince.

Not many oils are of good quality. Picture: luigi giordano - fotolia

Oils taste rancid and musty
A surprising result, because actually oils with the label "nativ extra" according to the EU-Olive Oil Ordinance have to fulfill very strict requirements. They must comply with limit values ​​for many chemical parameters, must be precisely labeled according to the specifications and be free from any errors in smell and taste, according to Stiftung Warentest. But many products would not meet the requirements. Instead, seven of them tasted "snappy, musty, rancid, or even worm-eaten - like fruits infested by the olive fly," the foundation said in a press release. The sensory quality of these oils corresponded to a "flawed", which is why the products should actually be downgraded to the lower grade "native".

Indications of origin can not be confirmed
A total of five products received a poor rating due to pollution, with four even exposed to potentially carcinogenic MOAH mineral oil hydrocarbons. "Five oils were so highly loaded with mineral oil hydrocarbons that we rated them poorly. Nevertheless, an acute health risk is unlikely to emanate from any of the oils, "said the project manager of Stiftung Warentest, Dr. med. Birgit Rehlender.

The experts also found that none of the oil producers surveyed labeled their product according to specifications, thereby depriving the consumer of important information. According to the Foundation, every olive oil sold in the EU must have an indication of origin such as "country of origin Spain" or "mixture of olive oils from third countries". However, a laboratory analysis showed large deviations between declared and actual origin, with five oils (four according to label from Italy and one from Spain), the location could not be confirmed.

Only one product receives a "good"
The organic olive oils often could not meet the quality requirements. Here, four of the six products tested with Bio-Siegel received a "Poor". According to the experts, only one oil achieved a grade of "good" overall. This comes from Spain, costs 40 euros per liter and is available online and in the delicatessen. To be recommended but also four other oils between 14.20 and 20 euros per liter, the overall after all, a "satisfactory" received. (No)