How to ascertain ‘genuine’ extra virgin olive oil in Chiang Mai….

[mikey88]

Following a program the other day on the ‘olive oil scam’ in Europe…..made me ponder what I was buying at the Supermarket in Chiang Mai….

I’ve been deliberately taking extra following some health advice……and now I’m wondering…

Is there any way to ascertain if specific brands on sale here are actually ‘genuine’ EVOO…..?

Appreciate your assistance as always…

[KannikaP]

I bought a 5 litre can from Lazada, FRAGATA, for Bht 600. Seems pretty good.

[VinnieK]

8 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I bought a 5 litre can from Lazada, FRAGATA, for Bht 600. Seems pretty good.

You probably got pomace olive oil at that price

[FolkGuitar]

I've never seen the 'Sabrosso' brand extra-virgin named in any of the Scam Oil Lists.

Not cheap, but very nice for cooking or even dipping bread.

[connda]

"Virgin" olive oil is a massive scam.

If it's "Virgin" then it congeals at the temperatures you normally find in grocery stores in Thailand (24 or colder).  Look around.  Most "good" coconut oil is congealed.  I challenge you to find a congealed bottle of olive oil anywhere in Thailand (or most of the world).
It's a massive scam and government regulators do - nothing.

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, VinnieK said:

You probably got pomace olive oil at that price

Sorry it was Bht 850, but now is Bht 1450.

[EVENKEEL]

I buy Sabrosso (First cold pressed) for salads and dipping. I buy Bertolli for frying (high temp) 

 

Is it real? Who know....

[metisdead]

A troll post has been reported and removed.

[Pattaya Spotter]

If you stick with the major Italian and Spanish brands sold in stores you're getting what it says on the label...the oil adulteration stuff occurs in the bulk oil market...the stuff sold to restaurants and other large users. It's not the 250 ml, 500ml, and 1 litre bottles.

[KhunLA]

6 hours ago, connda said:

"Virgin" olive oil is a massive scam.

If it's "Virgin" then it congeals at the temperatures you normally find in grocery stores in Thailand (24 or colder).  Look around.  Most "good" coconut oil is congealed.  I challenge you to find a congealed bottle of olive oil anywhere in Thailand (or most of the world).
It's a massive scam and government regulators do - nothing.

Olive oil does not start to congeal at 24C ... not even close.  Not till about 12C or less.

[The Fugitive]

6 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

If you stick with the major Italian and Spanish brands sold in stores you're getting what it says on the label...the oil adulteration stuff occurs in the bulk oil market...the stuff sold to restaurants and other large users. It's not the 250 ml, 500ml, and 1 litre bottles.

Thanks for the advice. I love olives/oil but always hesitate when I see the prices in supermarkets. 

[The Fugitive]

13 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

EVOO must have source on label    Italy preferred...cold press meaning do not heat it up

 

Is meant to be used cold in dressings and the like......doesnt have a high smoke point

 

Crusty bread with antipasto etc.....is an oil to flavor dishes not to fry with...drizzle

 

I used to cook for Rimping they have decent selection...good EVOO aint cheap tho

Wow! Many thanks for the info.

[MrJ2U]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

about 12C or less

At what temperature does olive oil solidify?

 

"Olive oil can begin to solidify at temperatures starting around 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 ºC). Because olive oil is a natural"

 

https://www.oliveoil.com/does-olive-oil-freeze/

[The Hammer2021]

18 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

Wow! Many thanks for the info.

Italian  olive oil is the one to  avoid- the Italian mafia run  the market and all the adulterated oil is organised by them. The more expensive the oil the more likely it is to be adulterated. The cleanest oil I got was in fresh of a  small farm in Libya. The EU oversaw some  of the  greatest olive oil scams and olive tree  scams. I use  good quality  organic  coconut oil for cooking but regard olive oil as a snobbish  fad

[NotEinstein]

https://shopee.co.th/น้ำมันมะกอกเอ็กซ์ตร้า-เวอจิ้น-1L-i.116919348.7061618518

[MrBrad]

[KhunLA]

 

[Chongalulu]

21 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Sorry it was Bht 850, but now is Bht 1450.

Had this before when it was 750 baht . It was fine and very cheap,should’ve bought more ! 

[The Fugitive]

7 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Had this before when it was 750 baht . It was fine and very cheap,should’ve bought more ! 

Thanks for your recommendation.

[marin]

15 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Olive oil does not start to congeal at 24C ... not even close.  Not till about 12C or less.

Correct, from a foodie website.

 

At about 45-50°F, the olive oil can begin to solidify, making it look cloudy or crystalized. As the olive oil gets colder, it turns into the consistency of butter. When completely frozen, it becomes a very hard butter.

 

That would be just about 10 as said Centigrade.  

[NotEinstein]

I used to suffer with joint inflammation for years, needing to take ibuprofen twice a week on average, until I started having extra virgin olive oil on my morning toast instead of butter three years ago. I've just upgraded to having extra virgin coconut oil on one toast now.

[mikey88]

Thanks for the replies so far……

The initial reason I started taking EVOO daily was that it was recommended by my eye specialist re macular degeneration. 
 

The price doesn’t worry me that much. I was just wondering if there was some type of ‘certification’ system or similar.

 

I don’t use in for cooking. I take it neat or mixed in with other food.

 

But the advice so far is appreciated…

 

 

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

In Makro today, the Coconut oil (cold pressed) was like 460thb for a small bottle.

[arithai12]

The amount of misinformation passed as "expert advice" on this forum is breathtaking.

 

[EricTh]

On 8/13/2022 at 7:25 PM, Pattaya Spotter said:

If you stick with the major Italian and Spanish brands sold in stores you're getting what it says on the label...the oil adulteration stuff occurs in the bulk oil market...the stuff sold to restaurants and other large users. It's not the 250 ml, 500ml, and 1 litre bottles.

Which brands do you recommend? 

 

I read a report several years ago that some of the Italian brands were not giving genuine olive oil.

[Pattaya Spotter]

On 8/14/2022 at 12:36 AM, The Fugitive said:

Thanks for the advice. I love olives/oil but always hesitate when I see the prices in supermarkets. 

Healthy food sometimes costs a bit more...but think how much you save on medical bills - strokes and heart attacks aren't cheap ????

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Healthy food sometimes costs a bit more...but think how much you save on medical bills - strokes and heart attacks aren't cheap ????

Maybe if you were just starting as a child.

But as a retired old person, I don't think what you eat will make much difference.

[Pattaya Spotter]

2 hours ago, EricTh said:

Which brands do you recommend? 

 

I read a report several years ago that some of the Italian brands were not giving genuine olive oil.

I usually buy whatever is on sale. Like I said, the food adulteration market generally targets large institutional users who purchase in bulk quantities like restaurants and food product manufacturers. It is generally too expensive for them to package and sell their products in small sized quantities in retail channels...like selling their fake olive oil in pretty green glass bottles. Most stores also have quality control checks in place because reports of selling fake or adulterated food would be a PR nightmare. 

 

I'm currently enjoying this bottle of Filippo Berlin EVOO that I purchased at Villa Market here in Phuket. Bertolli and Fragata are other brands I often on buy.

 

[seedy]

I would advise not to purchase any Chinese brands. Attached video explains ...

 

[richard_smith237]

15 hours ago, arithai12 said:

The amount of misinformation passed as "expert advice" on this forum is breathtaking.

 

As someone who clearly can identify genuine Olive Oil and recognise that the ‘expert advice’ given on this thread is misinformation...  what advice do you have ???