Olive oil fraud in – how to choose the right olive oil | ArcticMed
The olive oil fraud continues:
only 2 out of 12
tested oils met the standards
The Swedish Food Agency’s latest inspection shows how hard it can be to know what’s actually in the bottle. Here you learn the difference between extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, and seed oil - and why analysis values matter.
Imagine buying an olive oil labeled extra virgin - but the analysis shows it actually holds a lower quality.
You pay for premium. You believe you’re buying the highest grade. But the bottle may contain something completely different.
That’s exactly what the Swedish Food Agency’s inspection from 2024, published in 2026, showed: of twelve selected oils labeled as extra virgin, only two met the standards.
The inspection targeted products where defects were already suspected. But the result still shows something important:
As a consumer, you can’t always trust the label. You need to know what to look for.
It’s not an isolated problem. It’s a recurring pattern.
Olive oil is one of the world’s most vulnerable food raw materials when it comes to mislabeling, quality defects, and in some cases, forgery.
That doesn’t mean all olive oil is bad.
But that means the difference between a truly high-quality extra virgin olive oil and an oil that just looks good on the label can be huge.
And that difference rarely shows on the front of the bottle.
The chronology of olive oil fraud
Inspection after inspection shows why transparency and analysis values are crucial.
CBS News and 60 Minutes highlighted how organized crime in Italy was linked to the olive oil industry. The report showed how large values, global supply chains, and lack of transparency made olive oil an attractive product for manipulation.
In a Swedish inspection, only one out of ten tested olive oils labeled as extra virgin met the standards.
The following year, the same pattern continued. Of eleven tested oils, only three met the standards.
The latest inspection, conducted in 2024 and highlighted in 2026, showed that only two out of twelve selected oils labeled as extra virgin met the standards.
The words “extra virgin” on the label are not enough. It’s the analysis values that tell you what you’re really buying.
Three grades - three different products
The label on the bottle doesn’t always tell the whole truth. But if you understand the quality grades, it becomes easier to see what you’re actually paying for.
Fake oil, or lampante olive oil, has clear defects or chemical values that mean it may not be sold directly as food without refining.
May not be sold directly as foodVirgin olive oil is mechanically produced but has sensory or chemical defects that mean it does not meet the requirements for extra virgin olive oil.
Approved but lower qualityExtra virgin olive oil must be free from sensory defects, meet strict chemical requirements, and have an acidity below 0.8%.
Highest quality classResults from the latest inspection
The Swedish Food Agency's latest inspection showed that 10 of 12 selected oils labeled as extra virgin olive oil did not live up to that labeling.
- 5 oils were assessed as virgin oil
- 4 oils were classified as fake oil
- 1 oil was found to be blended with another vegetable oil
- Only 2 oils met the requirements
This does not mean that all olive oil in stores is bad. But it shows how difficult it is for an ordinary consumer to know what is actually in the bottle.
| Controlled oil | What the analysis showed |
|---|---|
| Oil 1 | The labeling was correct |
| Oil 2 | Assessed as virgin oil |
| Oil 3 | Blended with another vegetable oil |
| Oil 4 | Assessed as virgin oil |
| Oil 5 | Assessed as virgin oil |
| Oil 6 | The labeling was correct |
| Oil 7 | Classified as fake oil |
| Oil 8 | Classified as fake oil |
| Oil 9 | Assessed as virgin oil |
| Oil 10 | Classified as fake oil |
| Oil 11 | Classified as fake oil |
| Oil 12 | Assessed as virgin oil |
Source: Swedish Food Agency's inspection 2024, noted by among others Råd & Rön and Äkta vara in April 2026. Brand names are anonymized here.
What most people don't know about polyphenols
Many olive oils are marketed with words like "polyphenols," "antioxidants," and "extra virgin."
But not all polyphenol claims are equally relevant.
The important thing is not just that an oil has a high general polyphenol value. The important thing is which phenolic substances are actually in the oil - and if they are documented in sufficient amounts.
Three levels of polyphenol information
From broad marketing to documented EFSA basis.
A broad marketing claim. It may sound impressive but does not always show if the oil meets the requirements for the EU's approved health claim.
More relevant for olive oil. ArcticMed's batch 26030A contains 412 mg/kg bio-phenols.
The decisive factor for EFSA's approved health claim. ArcticMed's batch 26030A contains 284 mg/kg EFSA-relevant secoiridoids.
What does EFSA-approved health claim mean?
The EU has approved a specific health claim for the polyphenols in olive oil:
The polyphenols in olive oil help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress.
For this claim to be used, the oil must contain at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of olive oil.
This means that it is not enough for an oil to be called extra virgin oil. It is also not enough for it to be marketed as "rich in polyphenols."
The crucial factor is whether the relevant substances are actually analyzed and documented.
ArcticMed's analysis results – batch 26030A
ArcticMed Extra Virgin Olive Oil batch 26030A is analyzed and documented.
This is the difference between marketing and documentation.
| Origin | Andalusia, Spain |
| Cultivation altitude | 400+ meters above sea level |
| Harvest type | Early harvest, mechanical extraction |
| Acidity | 0,13 % |
| Limit for extra virgin olive oil | Max 0.8% |
| Peroxide value | 3.6 mEq O₂/kg |
| Rancimat at 100 °C | 67.7 hours |
| Bio-phenols | 412 mg/kg |
| EFSA-relevant secoiridoids | 284 mg/kg ✓ |
| Oleocanthal | about 50 mg/kg |
| Oleacein | about 95 mg/kg |
| Squalene | 7,150 mg/kg |
| Pesticides | 300+ analyzed substances |
Acidity value – a clear sign of quality
The acidity value tells a lot about how the olives have been treated from harvest to pressing.
Free fatty acids form when olives are damaged, stored too long, or handled carelessly.
For extra virgin olive oil, the limit is max 0.8%. ArcticMed's batch 26030A is at 0,13 %.
It is a very low value – and not a number you get by chance.
Rancimat – the oil's resistance to oxidation
The Rancimat test measures how long an oil resists oxidation under accelerated conditions.
It is a way to assess the oil's oxidative stability – that is, how robust the oil is over time.
ArcticMed's batch 26030A has a Rancimat value of 67.7 hours at 100 °C.
It is a very high value for an extra virgin olive oil and shows that the oil has strong natural resistance to oxidation.
That is why we use the same olive oil in ArcticMed Omega-3 Premium
Omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA are sensitive to oxidation.
That is why we do not use just any olive oil in ArcticMed Omega-3 Premium.
We use the same polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil that we sell separately - with documented analysis values.
The purpose is to contribute to the product's oxidative stability while adding olive oil polyphenols that meet the requirements for the EU's approved health claims.
Not just omega-3. Not just olive oil. But a well-thought-out combination of natural fish oil and documented extra virgin olive oil.
This is how ArcticMed works with quality
We work with olive oil the same way we work with omega-3: through analysis, documentation, and transparency.
Five things you should check before buying olive oil
Choose an olive oil with documented quality
ArcticMed Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not just chosen for taste.
It is chosen for its analysis values. It is chosen for its low acidity. It is chosen for its oxidative stability. It is chosen for its content of bio-phenols and EFSA-relevant secoiridoids.
And it is chosen because we ourselves use it in ArcticMed Omega-3 Premium.
That might be the best quality proof we can give.
Choose an olive oil you can actually verify
Laboratory tested per batch. Documented bio-phenol content. Meets EFSA's requirements for the approved health claim on protecting blood lipids from oxidative stress.
Order ArcticMed Extra Virgin Olive Oil →Swedish Food Agency - Olive oil sampling results 2022-2024: livsmedelsverket.se
Swedish Food Agency - Olive oil sampling results 2018-2023: livsmedelsverket.se
SVT News - Swedish Food Agency: 17 of 21 olive oils mislabeled: svt.se
Äkta vara - Ten of twelve oils did not meet the standard: aktavara.org
Råd & Rön - Only two of twelve tested olive oils meet the requirements: radron.se
EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):2033 - Scientific Opinion on olive oil polyphenols: efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
EU Register on nutrition and health claims - Olive oil polyphenols: ec.europa.eu
ArcticMed analysis results and certificates: arcticmed.com/certifikat
