Extra virgin olive oil

Key numbers

Nutrient density

86/100

Per calorie, across the whole database

Typical price

$12.99

per 25 oz bottle · organic +31%

Servings a week

6

Per person, at typical purchase volume

What to look at instead

Pesticide residue monitoring does not apply to extra virgin olive oil the way it does to fresh produce. These are the measures that actually decide the purchase.

Cost per serving

$0.26

Label to look for

Harvest date

Polyphenols fall off within 18 months; a bottle with no harvest date is hiding its age

Smoke point

~190–207 °C

High enough for nearly all home cooking, including roasting and sautéing

"Light" olive oil

Refined

Refers to flavour and colour, not calories — and it has lost the polyphenols

Nutrition

Per 1 tbsp (13.5 g).

• Monounsaturated fat 10 g
• Vitamin E 13% DV
• Oleocanthal polyphenols

Buying and storing

• ◆Buy the size you will finish in three months. Oxygen, light, and heat degrade olive oil faster than time alone, and a giant clear bottle by the stove is the worst case of all three.
• ◆A peppery catch at the back of the throat is oleocanthal — the marker of a fresh, polyphenol-rich oil, not a defect.

Common questions