Olive Oil Panel Scores: What Swiss Test Marks Mean
"Only virgin", 6.6 out of 10 or "insufficient": what the verdicts of the ZHAW sensory panel in Swiss olive oil tests mean, and which number is law.
Extra Vergine Schweiz
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New harvest olive oil: when «novello» reaches Switzerland
When the first oil of the new harvest arrives in Switzerland, how to recognise a genuine harvest date, and when the premium for «olio nuovo» is worth it.
Switzerland Market Tips Quality
Buy olive oil online in Switzerland: which shops deliver
Farmy is gone, Aldi now too: only two chains still deliver nationwide. The shops that do, their delivery fees and the customs trap.
Olive oil price forecast 2027: stock up now or wait?
Spain's first official estimate says 1,602,596 tonnes, yet the Swiss shelf has not moved. The three numbers that matter – and why nobody knows January's price.
Olive oil at Lidl: three Primadonna, one downgraded
Organic Primadonna downgraded to «vergine» by the Swiss panel, the standard bottle only «adequate» at Stiftung Warentest: three Lidl oils judged one by one.
Baking with Olive Oil: Replacing Butter the Right Way
Butter is an emulsion of water in milk fat, which is why the swap is not one to one. The conversion, its limits, and what research measured in an actual cake.
Pairing Olive Oil with Food: Robust, Medium or Delicate
The intensity grades are defined by EU law; the pairing rules by nobody. What is standard, what is convention — and which variety delivers which profile.
Olive Oil and Heart Health: What PREDIMED Shows, and What It Doesn't
PREDIMED, PREDIMED-Plus and the meta-analyses in detail: 3.6 instead of 5.7 per cent risk over five years — carried by stroke, not by heart attack.
Olive oil at Aldi: one bottle downgraded, one rated good
Bellasan downgraded to "vergine" in the Swiss comparison, Aldi's organic oil rated good by the Swiss panel: the Aldi range judged bottle by bottle.
Olive oil at Coop: six bottles, two Swiss test verdicts
Iliada rated «very good» by the Swiss panel, Prix Garantie downgraded to «vergine»: the Coop range sorted by litre price and judged bottle by bottle.
Best olive oil at Migros: all nine bottles checked
All nine Migros olive oils ranked by litre price: which test verdict is documented, which one is not extra virgin at all, and which bottle suits what.
The Olive Harvest: Why Timing Decides Quality
On the tree the oil is already perfect; after that it can only lose. Maturity index, harvesting methods and the hours to the mill, with the Olive Council's figures.
Olive Oil Labels: PDO, PGI, Organic and Medals
PDO means every production step in the area, PGI only one. What the organic leaf guarantees, what the Swiss Knospe demands, and why a medal is not a seal.
Cold-Pressed Olive Oil: What the Word Means
«Cold-pressed» is not the same claim as «first cold pressing»: 50 °C against 27 °C. What Swiss and EU rules allow, and what the label leaves out.
Olive Oil Acidity: What 0.8 % and 0.3 % Really Mean
Acidity is a laboratory figure, not a verdict on taste: what 0.8 % and 0.3 % mean in law, and why the number almost never appears on the label.
Olive Oil and Health: What the Evidence Shows
Heart, lifespan, polyphenols, dose, sport, frying: an honest verdict on every olive oil health claim, graded by the strength of the evidence, with sources.
Olive Oil Fraud: How It Is Faked and Who Checks
Lampante oil in the blend, chlorophyll for colour, 42 tonnes seized: what investigators find, how the EU checks and what Swiss laboratories measure.
Best olive oil in Switzerland: one bottle per chain
Which olive oil to put in your basket at Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner and Manor – and which bottle to leave on the shelf. With litre prices.
The world's most expensive olive oils: what the price buys
EUR 190 for 75 centilitres: we checked the top prices at source, converted them into francs and separated what is quality from what is packaging.
Does olive oil extend life? What the mortality studies show
Cohort studies find all-cause mortality 11 to 19 per cent lower. The only randomised trial found no difference. Here are the numbers, with intervals.
Health Nutrition Research Polyphenols
Olive oil in sports nutrition: what matters for footballers
What Swiss sports nutrition actually says about olive oil, what the polyphenol research shows about exercise stress, and what is not documented about footballers.
Premium olive oil in Switzerland: what the markup buys
What Swiss delicatessen shelves actually stock, what "first cold pressing", "non filtrato" and "novello" mean in law, and whether paying more buys quality.
How Much Olive Oil per Day? What Studies and Switzerland Say
20 grams, 50 grams or half a spoon? The amounts from PREDIMED, the official polyphenol claim and the Swiss food pyramid, converted into tablespoons.
Spain's Small Olive Oil PDOs: Varieties, Regions and Brands
More than two dozen protected areas, rare varieties like Royal de Cazorla and Argudell – and which brands you can actually get hold of from Switzerland.
Olive oil: 500 ml, 1 litre or a bulk tin – which pays off?
Per litre, the 500 ml bottle costs up to three times more. Why the big container still is not always cheaper – and which one fits your household.
How to Tell If Olive Oil Is Rancid: A 2-Minute Test
Rancid, fusty or musty: the three defects that disqualify an "extra virgin" – and how to find them with your own nose in two minutes.
Olive oil past its best-before date: is it still good?
Olive oil past its best-before date: what Swiss law says, what happens inside the oil, and how to tell in two minutes whether it still is good or has to go.
Olive oil price 2026: trend and forecast
At origin a kilo costs a little over 3 euros instead of 9, and eight per cent of that reached the Swiss shelf. What a crop estimate of 1.6 million tonnes changes.
Balkan Olive Oil: from Istria to Albania
Flos Olei has named Istria the world's best olive oil region for the ninth time. Varieties, figures and origins from Slovenia and Croatia to Albania.
PONS olive oil: a portrait of the Catalan family firm that picks early
PONS olive oil from L'Albagés in Catalonia's Garrigues: family history since 1945, Janiroc early harvest oils, verified awards and where to buy them.
The first oil of the season: why early-harvest, unfiltered Picual is so prized
Why early-harvest, unfiltered Picual is the most prized olive oil of the year, how long it keeps, and why "first cold pressed" is a legacy term.
Olive oil in Switzerland in the 1980s and 1990s: how consumption took off
How olive oil took off in Switzerland in the 1980s and 1990s: imports rose from about 2,000 to 8,000 tonnes. Migration, pizzerias and diet research.
Olive Oil from Switzerland: Ticino, Valais and Vaud in Review
Olive oil from Switzerland: producers in Ticino, the mills, harvests 2020 to 2025, prices per litre, labels and the new plantings in Vaud and Valais.
Pantry gold: why wealthy investors put money into olive oil brands and first-harvest oils
Olive oil as an investment: why funds and wealthy families buy brands, groves and first-harvest oils, and where the idea of pantry gold breaks down.
Olive oil consumption in Switzerland, 2000–2025: figures, prices, origins and trends
Olive oil consumption in Switzerland 2000–2025: imports up from 7,847 to 19,090 tonnes, just under 2 kg per person, shelf prices, origins and trends.
Cooking with Olive Oil: What the Smoke Point Really Means
Extra virgin olive oil smokes sooner than rapeseed oil – and is still the more stable choice in the pan. What the heating trials show and which temperatures matter.
Castile and León Tips Varieties
Buying Olive Oil from Castile and León: Varieties, Labels and Customs
Which variety, which label, how much duty-free? How to recognise and buy extra virgin olive oil from Castile and León – with tips for Switzerland.
Castile and León Producers Spain
Olive Oil from Valladolid: The New Olive Groves of Duero Wine Country
New olive plantations have grown on the plateau around Valladolid since 2008. How Oliduero, Pago de Valdecuevas and Los Vivales deal with frost and altitude.
Castile and León Producers Varieties
Arribes del Duero: Olive Oil from the Gorges on the Portuguese Border
The rare Zorzal olive grows in the Arribes del Duero. A portrait of the organic mill in Ahigal de los Aceiteros: varieties, flavour and visits.
Castile and León PDO Producers
Aceite Valle del Tiétar: Olive Oil from Ávila on Its Way to PDO Status
The Tiétar Valley is Castile and León's main olive area. Varieties, strict quality limits and the status of the “Aceite Valle del Tiétar” PDO application.
Castile and León Spain Quality
Olive Oil from Castile and León: Spain's Little-Known Olive Country
7,441 hectares of olives between Gredos and the Duero: where Castile and León makes olive oil, why it harvests early and what the oils taste like.
Dark Glass or Plastic? Which Bottle Actually Protects Olive Oil
Light and heat destroy polyphenols and aroma. What the studies on glass, PET and tin show – and what to look for on the Swiss shelf.
Picual: The Olive Variety That Shapes Jaén and the World Market
About a quarter of the world's olive oil comes from one variety. A portrait of Picual: origin, chemistry, flavour, the PDOs of Jaén and buying it in Switzerland.
Health Recipes Nutrition Cuisine
Tomato Salad with Olive Oil: Why Fat Unlocks the Lycopene
Lycopene and carotenoids are fat-soluble. What the studies on salad, olive oil and absorption show – with five salads and the right amount of oil.
Olive Varieties in Europe: The Complete Guide from Picual to Koroneiki
More than a thousand olive varieties grow around the Mediterranean. A guide to the key varieties of Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, France, Croatia – and Ticino.
Olive Oil in al-Andalus: History, Trade and Uses in Moorish Spain
How olive oil shaped Moorish Spain: the oil of the Aljarafe, Arab agronomists, cookbooks, the lamps of Córdoba's mosque, soap from Triana and medicine.
Olive Oil Every Day: What Regular Consumption Really Does, According to the Evidence
The Harvard cohorts, PREDIMED and the 2024 dementia study at a glance – plus a practical guide: how much olive oil a day, which oil, and what it should replace.
Swiss Recipes with Olive Oil: 16 Classics from Beetroot Salad to Carrot Cake
16 Swiss classics with extra virgin olive oil: beetroot salad, rösti, barley soup, Merlot risotto, Ticino minestrone, plum tart and Aargau carrot cake.
Olive Oil and Life Expectancy: Do the Biggest Olive Oil Consumers Live Longer?
Greece, Spain, Italy: we compare olive oil consumption per person with life expectancy and world ranking – and show what studies actually prove.
Eusko Label: Basque Olive Oil, Arróniz and Basque Cuisine
Eusko Label extra virgin olive oil from Rioja Alavesa: what the Basque quality label means, the Arróniz variety, brands, history and a pil-pil recipe.
Arbequina: The Mild Catalan Olive That Conquered the World
Arbequina profile: origins in Arbeca, the Les Garrigues PDO, flavour, shelf life compared with Picual and how to use this mild olive oil in the kitchen.
Private-Label Olive Oil in Spain and France: Hacendado, Carrefour, Leclerc & Co. Tested
How good are supermarket own brands? In Spain all 23 oils passed the OCU test; in France only 5 of 20 passed at Que Choisir. The results at a glance.
Pas de la Casa: Is Buying Olive Oil in Andorra Worth It?
Why the French shop in Andorra, what extra virgin olive oil costs there, which taxes apply and how much you may take back to France or Switzerland.
olive oil test Switzerland Kassensturz
Olive Oil Tests in Switzerland 2026: Every Result in One Place
Every Swiss olive oil test 2010–2026 on one page: Kassensturz, K-Tipp, Saldo, FRC, ACSI, cantonal labs. Winners and downgrades at Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl.
Why Spanish Olive Oil Ranks Among the World's Best
Spain supplies over 65 per cent of EU production; three of the 24 bottles we track in Switzerland name it. Figures, the 2025/26 competitions and what to buy.
The History and Origins of Olive Oil
From Tel Tsaf via Knossos to the centrifuge: 7,000 years of olive oil, how Rome was supplied from Spain, and when the oil reached the Swiss table.
Olive Oil Polyphenols: Effects, Content and What Research Shows
What olive oil polyphenols are, why their content varies tenfold, what the EFSA claim requires, and what PREDIMED and the oleocanthal studies actually show.
Olive Oil: Nutrition Facts and Authorised Health Claims
Calories, fatty acids, vitamin E and polyphenols per 100 g – and the exactly two health claims authorised for olive oil in Switzerland and the EU.
Artajo: A Portrait of Navarre's Award-Winning Olive Oil
Artajo of Fontellas is the world's best organic mill: varieties, early harvest, why no PDO seal is on the bottle, and how to get the oil in Switzerland.
How to Store Olive Oil So It Stays Fresh Longer
Light, heat and air are olive oil's biggest enemies. Here's how to store extra virgin olive oil at home to keep it fresh and avoid rancidity.
What Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil? The Complete Guide
Extra virgin olive oil explained simply: how it's made, quality grades, how to spot the real thing, and what to check for when buying in Switzerland.