When buying extra virgin olive oil, we often find countless brands with different formats and containers on the supermarket shelves. But which is the best? According to the North American Olive Oil Association, these are the five steps to follow to buy the best olive oil for your family.
1. Label and quality seals
The quickest manner in which to check the quality of the oil is by looking at the label. The label should specify that the oil has been awarded official quality certificates and seals. The bottle may feature a seal indicating the region of origin, or certification seals such as NAOOA NAOOA (North American Olive Oil Association), which indicate that the brand has agreed to join a program that involves the execution of random testing available for compliance with international purity and quality standards. Goya olive oils are enrolled in the North American Olive Oil Association’s (NAOOA’s) About Olive Oil Quality Seal program.
2. Check the best-by-date
Olive oil is best freshly produced, but it has a shelf life of two years from bottling. Therefore, it is important to check the best-by-date so that we know how long it has been bottled.
3. Buy what you need
Although the best-by-date may be a long way off, olive oil is a natural product that loses properties when exposed to heat, oxygen and light. Thus, the flavor components of extra virgin olive oil can be reduced with prolonged storage. For this reason it´s always best to buy a reasonable amount depending on the intended use.
4. Origin, guarantee of quality
Origin is a requirement included in international labeling standards. It´s usually found on the back label near the nutritional information and and ingredient declaration. At Goya Spain we select the best Andalusian olive oils (a global center of olive oil production) for our coupages and for packaging. What’s more, we don’t package for any other brands.
5. Know the differences between the types of olive oil
As specified by regulatory organizations, in our supermarket we can find two different types of olive oils according to the intensity of flavor: extra virgin olive oils and classic olive oils (olive oil and light flavor olive oil).
These keys will allow you to choose the best olive oil to buy; you just have to choose the one that best suits your needs and tastes, and start enjoying its properties in your dishes and recipes.