Olive Oil past the expiration date?

[ncscgirl2005]

My friend brought a bottle of Olive Oil from a local gourmet shop in their clearance section
(75% off). It was originally a $35 bottle of olive oil so she thought she was getting a deal.When she got it home she noticed the expiration date was October 31, 2006. That's almost a year!!!

She took it back to the store for a refund because...well...it had expired! The manager gave her a really hard time and told her that olive oil doesn't spoil that soon and they use expired olive oil all the time. They didn't want to give her money back, but they finally gave in. The manager told her that next time all sales will be final (that part was never on the receipt or listed anywhere in the store).

So my question is...Was the Olive Oil still good one year after the expiration date?

I buy things on clearance all the time. I look at the expiration date, but I will still buy things that have a few weeks or months left on their shelf life. I would never purchase something that was expired one year after and I'm sure my friend wouldn't have either if she had thought to look at the expiration date.

[offwego]

It likely wasn't "bad" as in make you sick bad..but it wouldn't be "good" either. (the whole point of prem. olive oil is the flavour/aroma colour of it and the freshness is a factor in that regard)

If it wasn't stored properly it could indeed by rancid however which might make you sick. But it's more likely due to the desire of the bottler to have you enjoy the product at it's best.

[ldn324]

Hard to say. It was probably fine, but that's one of those chances that it's just too "iffy" to take.

Chances are if it looked clear and didn't have any funky smell when you opened it, it was fine. Any signs of sedimentation or milkiness and there's no way I'd use it. Plus like offwego stated, it probably lost a bit of it's flavor, especially if it was a higher end oil to begin with.

Odd that a store would take the chance of someone getting sick on a year old expiry date. You'd think they could return it to the manufacturer for a credit.

Good call on your friend's part to return it though. Foodborne illness is nothing to play around with.

[disneydrmr]

Here's some Olive Oil facts I found...


ANYONE CAN LEARN TO RECOGNIZE AN EXCELLENT ITALIAN EXTRA
VIRGIN OLIVE OIL!

A 1996 study by the FDA found that 96% of the olive oils they tested, while
being labeled 100% olive oil, had been diluted with other oils. A study in
Italy found that only 40% of the olive oil brands labeled "extra virgin"
actually met those standards. Italy produces 400,000 tons of olive oil for
domestic consumption, but 750,000 are sold. The difference is made up with
highly refined nut and seed oils.

If you want to find healthy and high-quality olive oil, you should focus on
some very important things before buying it:

What should I read on the label? One of the most significant information is
the date of 
harvest together with the expiration date. Did you know that
olive oil loses fruitiness and flavor as it ages and after maximum two years
from the harvest it will be oxidized and rancid?

The importance of packaging. A dark bottle, a bottle wrapped in foil, a
bottle packaged in cardboard or wooden box is a MUST to preserve the
quality of the oil because it must be kept away from direct light.

Is the color of the olive oil important? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Official tasters
always use dark glasses so that their sense is not influenced by the color.
Many times oils are chemically manipulated to be greener because
customers believe that greener oil is better. This is absolutely wrong!