48 of 54 avocado oils, cut
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Lab Testing Shows 48 Out of 54 “Avocado Oil” Samples Were Cut with Cheaper Oils Instead
UC Davis tested 54 samples of 27 avocado oil products: Primal Kitchen, Siete, Boulder Canyon, Chosen Foods, Jackson's & more. 48 of 54 failed.
Lab testing shows 89% of avocado oil samples might be cut with seed oils instead. Researchers believe the oil is likely being cut upstream by third-party suppliers, meaning the brands themselves may not even know.
Read the full summary
Researchers pulled the chemical fingerprint of the oil in each product. Real avocado oil carries specific fatty acids and plant sterols in specific ratios. Cheaper seed oils carry a completely different signature.
93% of the chips failed. 71% of the mayo failed. 100% of the salad dressings failed. The 89% that failed shared the same signature consistent with cheaper oils.
This comes after big food bought up the "healthy" brands. Kraft Heinz took Primal Kitchen for around $200 million. PepsiCo took Siete for $1.2 billion.
There are still real healthy alternatives out there. Graza passed all the lab testing done in this same study.
| Product | Scout score |
|---|---|
 MAYO AVOCADO OIL REAL MAYONNAISE | Poor |
 Siete Sea Salt Kettle Potato Chips | Poor |
Sources (6)
- Lopez-Alvarez, Li, Vizgordiski & Wang, “Authenticity of avocado and olive oils used as ingredients in commercially processed foods,” Applied Food Research 6(2):102389
- UC Davis, “That Avocado Oil Chip You’re Eating May Not Be Made With Pure Avocado Oil”
- UC Davis media kit, brand list for “Authenticity of avocado and olive oils used as ingredients in commercially processed foods”
- NPR, “Is that food really made with 100% avocado oil? Likely not”
- Kraft Heinz, “Kraft Heinz Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Primal Kitchen”
- PepsiCo, “PepsiCo completes acquisition of Siete Foods”
