nOlive Oil Quality Under Scrutiny: Stiftung Warentest Reveals Winners and Losers Amidst Poor Harvest
The effects of a devastating olive harvest in 2023 and 2024 have left consumers grappling with rising prices and declining quality in supermarkets and discounters. according to Stiftung Warentest, this year’s harvest is one of the worst in history, exacerbated by prolonged droughts. In response, the German consumer watchdog tested 25 olive oils, including seven organic varieties, to assess their quality and value.
The results, published on January 26, 2025, revealed a mixed bag. While seven products earned a “good” rating—five more than in previous tests—three brands were criticized for their “muddy” taste. The price range for the tested oils varied significantly, from €9.05 to €50 per liter, highlighting the disparity in quality and cost.
Testing Methodology and Key Findings
Table of Contents
stiftung Warentest evaluated the oils based on six criteria: smell, taste, quality, pollutants, packaging, and declaration. The top performers demonstrated extraordinary sensory qualities and adherence to labeling standards, while the underperformers failed to meet expectations in both taste and overall quality.
“The effects of the bad olive harvest have been noticeable for many consumers,” noted the report.“Prices rose while quality decreased.”
Winners and Losers in the Olive Oil Market
The test included popular brands from Aldi, Lidl, and Rewe, among others. While some products stood out for their excellence, others fell short.The three lowest-rated oils were described as having a “muddy” flavour, a stark contrast to the rich, aromatic profiles of the top performers.
| Category | Details |
|———————|—————————————————————————–|
| Tested Products | 25 olive oils (including 7 organic) |
| Price Range | €9.05 to €50 per liter |
| Top performers | 7 products rated “good” |
| Lowest performers | 3 brands criticized for “muddy” taste |
What This Means for Consumers
The findings underscore the importance of informed purchasing decisions, especially in a market where quality can vary widely.Consumers are encouraged to look beyond price tags and consider factors such as sensory quality and labeling accuracy when selecting olive oil.
For those seeking reliable options,the top-rated oils from Stiftung Warentest’s test offer a safe bet.
As the olive oil industry navigates the challenges of climate change and poor harvests, this report serves as a timely reminder of the need for transparency and quality assurance in the food supply chain.nAct as an expert news reporters or journalists and create deeply engaging, well-researched, plagiarism-free news article BASED ONLY AND EXCLUSEVELY ON INFORMATION FROM THE ARTICLE BELOW, utilizing web search for relevant information and hyperlinking all external references directly to the contextual keywords within the blog body (NOT IN footnotes or a separate references section), including all provided quotes verbatim in quotation marks and attributing them naturally, seamlessly incorporating all multimedia elements from the original source, maintaining a elegant yet conversational tone with varied sentence lengths, integrating primary and secondary keywords organically, embedding relevant internal and external links, adding one table to summarize key points, strategically placing calls to action, fostering user engagement through fresh insights and meaningful analysis, and returning only the requested content without any additional commentary or text. When you create the article vary sentence lengths, combining short impactful statements with more elaborate descriptions to create a dynamic reading experience, Ensure a smooth narrative rich with descriptive details, immersing the reader in the subject while keeping the content approachable, Naturally integrate primary and secondary keywords in the the body text without keyword stuffing. Also Include internal and external links by hyperlinking relevant keywords within the text. All backlinks must be hyperlinked directly in the body of the blog, not in footnotes or a separate references section.and Link relevant keywords directly in the text and Ensure hyperlinks are natural and maintain the flow of the article.
Do not place the sources at the end of the blog.YOU MUST HYPERLINK TO THE CONTEXTUAL WORD THROUGH OUT THE BLOG.
Include one table in the blog post to summarize key information or comparisons, helping break up the text and present data in a digestible format and Vary Sentence Length: Mix short and long sentences to create a more natural flow and Be mindful of overusing certain terms or phrases, as this can signal AI authorship.
Do not place the sources at the end of the blog. YOU MUST HYPERLINK TO THE CONTEXTUAL WORD THROUGH OUT THE BLOG. Return only the content requested, without any additional comments or text.
The created article should be BASED ONLY AND EXCLUSEVELY ON INFORMATION FROM THE ARTICLE BELOW :nn:rnrn “,”displayType”:”Paragraph inlinelink”,”type”:”INLINE_LINK”,”value”:”Olivenöl-Test im Jahr 2024″,”variant”:”standardLink”,”sponsored”:false,”linkHref”:”https://www.ruhr24.de/service/olivenoel-test-aldi-lidl-rewe-edeka-kaufland-produkte-testsieger-oel-24k-supermarkt-stiftung-warentest-93461943.html”,”storyElementPosition”:12,”storyElementCount”:21}}”>Olive oil test in 2024. The oils “Primadonna Native Olive Oil Extra” by Lidl and the two products “Cantinelle Native Olive Oil Extra” and “Gut Bio Native Olive Oil Extra” from Aldi are among the cheapest oils in the test winners. All three items cost less than 10 euros per liter.
Drogerie olive oil: “muddy” taste through mold
With the grade “satisfactory” and the highest price of 50 euros per liter,the olive oil from El Empänro was still able to convince with an “excellently balanced” taste and was elected as the winner in this category. However,there were points deductions due to the high load on mineral oil components in the product.
On the other side, the bio native olive oil from the drugstore DM cut off particularly badly. In the test it is called “muddy and modling”. The reason for the faulty taste could be mold and yeast, explains Stiftung Warentest. As the olive oil does not correspond to the quality of “native extra” with these errors, it should not have been sold.
What does native olive oil mean?
Native olive oil extra is the highest declared quality class. The term is made of native (= natural) and extra (= High quality) together.With a native olive oil extra, the oil may only be extracted from the olive with mechanical processes. The supply of heat and chemical means to extract more oil from the olive is prohibited.
Source: vinegar & oil company
Olive oil in the text: Two brands receive bad rating for the second time
The native olive oil from the brands La Española and Fiore also got the worst judgment. The reason for the critical assessment was also a rancid taste and pollutants found. Both products received the grade of Stiftung Warentest for the second time in a row.
Many of the providers stated to Stiftung Warentest to take more measures against climate change in the future to react to the poor harvests. To do this, the farmers want to rely more on heat -tolerant olive varieties, optimize irrigation and improve the soil. So the Prices for olive oil are falling again this year.