Olive oil fraud in – how to choose the right olive oil | ArcticMed
Olive oil fraud continues:
only 2 out of 12
oils tested met the requirements
The Swedish Food Agency's latest inspection shows how difficult it can be to know what's actually in the bottle. Here you'll learn the difference between extra virgin, virgin, and lampante olive oil – and why analysis values matter.
Imagine buying an olive oil labeled extra virgin olive oil – but the analysis shows that it is, in fact, of lower quality.
You pay for premium. You believe you're buying the highest grade. But the bottle could contain something entirely different.
That's precisely what the Swedish Food Agency's 2024 inspection, published in 2026, revealed: out of twelve selected oils labeled as extra virgin olive oil, only two met the requirements.
The inspection targeted products where deficiencies were already suspected. But the results still show 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 commodities when it comes to mislabeling, quality defects, and in some cases, adulteration.
This doesn't mean all olive oil is bad.
But it does mean that the difference between a truly high-quality extra virgin olive oil and an oil that only looks good on the label can be enormous.
And that difference is rarely visible on the front of the bottle.
Chronology of Olive Oil Fraud
Inspection after inspection shows why transparency and analysis values are crucial.
CBS News and 60 Minutes reported on how organized crime in Italy had been linked to the olive oil industry. The report showed how significant 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 olive oil met the requirements.
The following year, the same pattern continued. Out of eleven oils tested, only three met the requirements.
The latest inspection, conducted in 2024 and highlighted in 2026, showed that only two out of twelve selected oils labeled as extra virgin olive oil met the requirements.
The words “extra virgin” on the label are not enough. It's the analysis values that tell you what you are actually buying.
Three grades – three different products
The labeling 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.
Lampante olive oil has clear defects or chemical values that mean it cannot be sold directly as food without refining.
May not be sold directly as foodVirgin olive oil is mechanically produced but has sensory or chemical deficiencies that prevent it from meeting 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 level below 0.8%.
Highest quality gradeResults from the latest inspection
The Swedish Food Agency's latest inspection showed that 10 out of 12 selected oils labeled as extra virgin olive oil did not live up to that designation.
- 5 oils were assessed as virgin olive oil
- 4 oils were classified as lampante oil
- 1 oil was found to be blended with other vegetable oil
- Only 2 oils met the requirements
This doesn't mean that all olive oil in stores is bad. But it shows how difficult it is for an ordinary consumer to know what's actually in the bottle.
| Tested oil | What the analysis showed |
|---|---|
| Oil 1 | Labeling was correct |
| Oil 2 | Assessed as virgin olive oil |
| Oil 3 | Blended with other vegetable oil |
| Oil 4 | Assessed as virgin olive oil |
| Oil 5 | Assessed as virgin olive oil |
| Oil 6 | Labeling was correct |
| Oil 7 | Classified as lampante oil |
| Oil 8 | Classified as lampante oil |
| Oil 9 | Assessed as virgin olive oil |
| Oil 10 | Classified as lampante oil |
| Oil 11 | Classified as lampante oil |
| Oil 12 | Assessed as virgin olive oil |
Source: Swedish Food Agency's control 2024, highlighted by Råd & Rön and Äkta vara in April 2026, among others. 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".
However, 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 compounds are actually present in the oil - and if they are documented in sufficient quantity.
Three levels of polyphenol information
From broad marketing to documented EFSA basis.
A broad marketing figure. It may sound impressive, but it doesn't 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 biophenols.
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 olive oil polyphenols:
Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of 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 olive oil. It is also not enough for it to be marketed as "rich in polyphenols".
The decisive 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 |
| Biophenols | 412 mg/kg |
| EFSA-relevant secoiridoids | 284 mg/kg ✓ |
| Oleocanthal | approximately 50 mg/kg |
| Oleacein | approximately 95 mg/kg |
| Squalene | 7,150 mg/kg |
| Pesticides | 300+ analyzed substances |
Acidity - a clear sign of quality
Acidity tells a lot about how the olives have been handled 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%.
This is a very low value - and not a figure one gets 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.
This is a very high value for an extra virgin olive oil and shows that the oil has strong natural resistance to oxidation.
That's why we use the same olive oil in ArcticMed Omega-3 Premium
Omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA are sensitive to oxidation.
Therefore, we don't 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 and at the same time provide olive oil polyphenols that meet the requirements for the EU's approved health claim.
Not just omega-3. Not just olive oil. But a well-thought-out combination of natural fish oil and documented extra virgin olive oil.
How ArcticMed works with quality
We work with olive oil in 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 biophenols and EFSA-relevant secoiridoids.
And it is chosen because we ourselves use it in ArcticMed Omega-3 Premium.
That is perhaps the best quality assurance we can provide.
Choose an olive oil you can actually verify
Laboratory tested per batch. Documented biophenol content. Meets EFSA's requirements for the approved health claim regarding the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.
Order ArcticMed Extra Virgin Olive Oil →Swedish Food Agency - Results of olive oil sampling 2022-2024: livsmedelsverket.se
Swedish Food Agency - Results of olive oil sampling 2018-2023: livsmedelsverket.se
SVT News - Swedish Food Agency: 17 out of 21 olive oils mislabeled: svt.se
Äkta vara - Ten out of twelve oils did not meet the standard: aktavara.org
Råd & Rön - Only two out 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
