Olive oil

[binkylilyput]

Thanks kiera, I didn't know that about olive oil and birds, good to know.

Sainsburys is already on my boycott list due to being the worst offenders for plastics

[Sue]

Kiera, I'm a member of the RSPB and I had no idea about that. I'm absolutely horrified.

I will definitely check out before I buy anything that it is harvested without harming birds.

Pleased to see that M&S olive oil is bird friendly, as that's what I'm using at the moment.

Thanks other posters for your suggestions. I really need to taste the oils first, I think, or I could end up having to use up load of stuff I don't like!

[DulwichFox]

binkylilyput Wrote:

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> Thanks kiera, I didn't know that about olive oil

> and birds, good to know.

>

> Sainsburys is already on my boycott list due to

> being the worst offenders for plastics

WHAT !!! Sainsbury's are the First Supermarket to Ban Plastic Bags for loose fruit and Vegetables..

DulwichFox

[EPB]

The June issue of Which? recommends Waitrose 1 Chianti Classico PDO at ?2.40/100ml, and Tesco Finest Sicilian at ?1.30/ml.

As well as ranking Asda, M&S, Sainsbury?s, Lidl, and Filipino Beria 100% Italian, they have a lot of advice about how to choose and use olive oil.

[edcam]

When did they do this?

DulwichFox Wrote:

> WHAT !!! Sainsbury's are the First Supermarket to

> Ban Plastic Bags for loose fruit and Vegetables..

>

>

> DulwichFox

[Sue]

Very recently.

ETA: As it's a new page, to make clear what I'm referring to:

"When did they do this?

DulwichFox Wrote:

> WHAT !!! Sainsbury's are the First Supermarket to

> Ban Plastic Bags for loose fruit and Vegetables.. "

[Sue]

EPB Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The June issue of Which? recommends Waitrose 1

> Chianti Classico PDO at ?2.40/100ml, and Tesco

> Finest Sicilian at ?1.30/ml.

> As well as ranking Asda, M&S, Sainsbury?s, Lidl,

> and Filipino Beria 100% Italian, they have a lot

> of advice about how to choose and use olive oil.

Thanks, that's very useful!

ETA: Just had a quick look. They only seemed to think the Waitrose one you mention plus the Tesco one if you couldn't afford that were any good!

The others were ranked quite low.

The M&S one they tested/tasted isn't the one I use currently.

Also found this while googling the Which report:

https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/best-extra-virgin-olive-oils-cooking-10294489.html

[edcam]

Oh that?s good news, I haven?t been there for a couple of weeks.

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Very recently.

>

> ETA: As it's a new page, to make clear what I'm

> referring to:

>

>

> "When did they do this?

>

> DulwichFox Wrote:

>

> > WHAT !!! Sainsbury's are the First Supermarket

> to

> > Ban Plastic Bags for loose fruit and

> Vegetables.. "

[PeckhamNicola]

Bambuni in Nunhead used to have olive oil for sale, you had to take in your own bottles to fill. Haven't been there for ages so don't know if they still have this in their current shop.

[Annasfield]

Greek olive for me from Kalamata

You can get a brand called Iliada from Sainsbury?s and it?s pretty good

The best I?ve ever had however is when I visit my friend in Athens. She had a massive drum of extra Virgin olive oil under her sink. It?s from her mother in law?s olive trees and really doesn?t get any better. I always bring some home. P

[alice]

Agree about Kalamata olives. I get a cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece. Aldi sells it. Lovely.

[Sue]

After all that, I have discovered this morning that olive oil is apparently really bad for you!

https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/10/17/what-about-extra-virgin-olive-oil/

:(

[TheTruthisOut]

kiera Wrote:

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> At least Marks and Spencer's olive oil is not

> produced by the night time vacuum harvesting

> method which kills millions of birds. A number of

> newspapers reported on this last month:-

>

> "Every year, millions of songbirds are brutally

> killed by suction olive harvesters as they rest at

> night in olive trees. In many regions, this

> industrialised slaughter takes place because

> harvesters have switched to night time harvesting

> simply to improve the flavour of the olives"

> https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/songbird

> s-death-toll-millions-mediterranean-olive-harvesti

> ng-winter-a8916471.html

>

> Apparently the colder night time temperatures

> better preserve the flavour. In the daytime the

> birds can fly away, but at night they are

> trapped.

>

> "Ethical Consumer are currently looking into the

> best brands to buy if you want to be assured that

> your olive oil has not contributed to the

> slaughter of wild birds. Whilst the full report is

> still in progress, they have released the

> following statement to help concerned buyers in

> the meantime:

>

> "In response to queries, Ethical Consumer magazine

> has been contacting brands about what their policy

> is relating to birds and olive oil. The following

> brands have replied to say that they do not use

> the olive harvesting method that leads to vast

> bird deaths: BionaOrganic, Mr Organic, Marks and

> Spencer. A more detailed report from one of their

> researchers is soon to come."

>

> From the Olive Oil Times

> https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/mil

> lions-of-birds-killed-by-nighttime-harvesting-in-m

> editerranean/68111

>

> Martin Harper, the RSPB?s director of conservation

> said, ?Numbers of farmland birds in Europe have

> plummeted by 55 per cent over the last three

> decades and this is another shocking example of

> how modern agricultural practices are impacting

> our bird populations, including some UK species

> passing through the region.?

>

> Andalusian officials have recommended the practice

> stops but unless legislation is passed in the next

> few months the ?massacre? will start again in

> October, researchers warn.

>

> Petition http://chng.it/zDmy4rzC64

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Keira.

The Ethical Consumer has now produced a report naming those shops/brands which can or cannot guarantee their olive oils to be bird-friendly.

Of the supermarkets, Aldi, Asda, the Co-op, and Tesco could not guarantee this. Nor could Morrisons but they said that their initial inquiries indicated their oil is bird-friendly. The brand Napolina/Olivia (Princes Group)could not guarantee it (this is the only brand that was not able to).

The report says that in relation to those that could not make the guarantee, "these companies stated that any super-intensive nocturnal harvesting methods would be stopped before next harvesting season."

Marks and Spencer, Sainsburys and Waitrose all guaranteed their oils to be bird-friendly.

The report strongly recommends buying organic since it is unlikely that heavy machinery has been used as well as being more sustainable by excluding toxic pesticides and herbicides.