Five years later, UC Davis report still sends shockwaves

Five years ago today, the University of California at Davis Olive Center released its report on a study of the quality of olive oils in some of the region’s supermarkets. The bombshell report would prove to be a game changer, cited countless times to illustrate the exploits of unscrupulous producers. The study, which was funded in part by California producers, was small in scale but it packed a big punch: “69% of imported olive oils labeled as extra virgin,” the report proclaimed, “failed the IOC sensory standard.” In other words, most imported extra virgin olive oils were not extra virgin at all.