69% of olive oil in U.S. is not pure olive oil
Much of the oil sold as Italian olive oil does not come from Italy, but from countries like Spain, Morocco and Tunisia. ... Meanwhile, shipments of soybean oil or other cheap oils are labeled olive oil... At a refinery, the olive oil is cut with cheaper oil... The "olive oil" is shipped around the world, to countries like the U.S., where approximately 69 percent of the olive oil for sale is doctored.
--Nicholas Blechman and Tom Mueller, NYT, on reasons to buy Californian or Chilean olive oil
