Generally I stay away from the mass-produced big name olive oils but I keep a bottle of Colavita for cooking purposes. I prefer to pay a little extra to get the artisan brands that are out there. Good olive oil is not cheap, expect to pay $20 or more for a 750ml bottle, so if you see something on sale that is low-priced, I would be wary.
“This Snopes article...”
Perhaps you are not aware that Snopes exists to invalidate any remnant of Conservative thought. I suspect Snopes can prove that YOU do not exist.
Colavita was one of the brands not meeting specs.
The tests made were sensory as well as chemical. Some of the failures were just from using over ripe olives.
The two that I remember being true were Kirkland (Organic) and California Ranch. There were a couple others.
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Snopes is totally unreliable.
Their goals are to protect those that have a destructive agenda. Snopes is an ultra-leftist couple living in southern California.