The fruitlessness that brought shortages and skyrocketing prices for olive oil became the occasion for an orgy of delinquency.

In open-air markets, via the internet and also by word of mouth, sly people sell adulterated olive oils, but as has recently become known, even colored seed oils.

A few days ago, the case of a father and son who trafficked adulterated oil came to light, but it seems that this is only the tip of the iceberg.

“The oil is not adulterated, it is pure colored sunflower oil. These circuits take sunflower oil from Bulgaria, which they green with a dangerous, carcinogenic dye”, olive oil merchant Vassilis Panagiotakos told GRTimes. He now has very little olive oil to sell while consumers buy whatever they can find and many olives from his shop. “In every corner they sell this kind of oil. Even EFET cannot carry out sufficient checks because those who traffic it do not have a stable base and there are not enough workshops. They open the trunk and take out canisters, without labels, without information”, he emphasizes and calls on consumers to be suspicious when they see very low prices and packaging without labels and information.

The same is recommended by the Assistant Professor of the Laboratory of Chemistry and Food Technology of the AUTH, Nenadis Nikolaos, who revealed to GRTimes that since September samples of adulterated oils have been arriving at the laboratory that have an identical composition, which proves that they have a common origin and come from Bulgaria. “The adulteration is so gross that in many cases we don’t even need to do a chemical analysis,” said Mr. Nenadis. He calls on consumers not to buy bulk products from street vendors and “acquaintances of acquaintances”.

How to distinguish adulterated olive oil

According to Mr. Nenadis, the first bell should be the particularly low price.

“It is not possible when the olive mills give a price of 9-10 euros that some people sell for 5”, he emphasizes. Consumers should taste, smell and taste the oils. “Olive oil has a characteristic smell, it’s what whets our appetite when we see a salad with olive oil,” he says characteristically. Also, thanks to the phenols it contains, it has a spicy taste. “Extra virgin olive oil leaves a bitterness when swallowed due to the phenols”, he emphasizes and adds “on the contrary, seed oils have no smell or taste”.

What are the dangers of adulterated olive oil?

The main danger from adulterated olive oil and colored seed oils is that due to its illegal trafficking no one knows where it has come from. “Oil has the ability to take substances from the place where it is. I saw, for example, in the case that came out recently that they had the oil in shabby facilities”, says Mr. Nenadis. However, he emphasizes that humans only reap the health benefits of olive oil if they consume it raw, as cooking loses its valuable ingredients. Also important is the fact that even virgin olive oil is safe 18 months after bottling.