Olive Pomace Oil Checking for impurities and adulteration

While not as healthy as virgin or extra-virgin olive oil, olive pomace oil has its own place in the ‘health food’ hierarchy. Being the lowest grade of olive oil (it is produced from the pulp and leftover flesh of the olives), it also costs the cheapest – the difference in price between pomace oil and extra virgin can be pretty big. The food regulations have clear directions with regard to the quality of olive pomace oil, covering insoluble impurities, free fatty acidity or free acidity, heavy metal contaminants, and adulteration by other oils. There are packaging and labeling guidelines as well. As consumers, we need to be alert about these various aspects in order to make a fully informed choice.

This report checks five leading brands of olive pomace oil along the abovementioned parameters, which are important determinants of quality and safety. The good news is that none of them diverged from the Food Safety and Standards Regulations on the key parameters, as discussed in detail below.