Does Extra Virgin Olive Oil have an expiration date?

More than once you have asked yourself this: does Extra Virgin Olive Oil have an expiration date?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) has no expiration date due to its high concentration of antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. These natural components protect EVOO from oxidation and deterioration.

Although it does not expire, it does have a best before date.

What is the Best Before Date?

The expiration date notifies us of the limit day after which the food should not be consumed, as it may pose a risk to our health. However, the best before date informs us of the date from which the packager can no longer guarantee that it retains the characteristics and properties of its category.

Therefore, the best before date of an EVOO indicates the moment from which the oil can begin to lose the organoleptic qualities that make it excellent. Therefore, it does not entail any risk to health. When an oil is bottled, its best-before date is decided, usually ranging between one and two years from that moment.

On our packaging you can find the best before date on the back of our selection bottles or on the label of the large formats, 5 and 2 liters.

Can we consume the Oil after the best before date?

It can be consumed without any type of health risk. What can happen is that after the best-before date, it first loses flavor and smell and then becomes rancid. 

Through the color we can also perceive that the oil has spoiled, although as we have already commented on more than one occasion, the color is not indicative of the quality of an EVOO and should not be a criterion for selecting an oil. If we have an extra virgin and we see a significant change in color, it may be an indication of its deterioration.

Some recommendations to preserve EVOO

In some other entry or publication on social networks we have told you about the recommendations to preserve our EVOO.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co0H5KOoBtR/?igsh=MWliN2F2d2F6cnV1aQ==

Mainly and as a summary, we recommend:

1. Do not store large volumes of oil.

2. Protect it from light. This is one of the factors that most affect the composition of extra virgin olive oil.

3. Avoid heat. It is very important to keep the containers away from any heat source. Prolonged exposure to heat can cause the evaporation of the different alcohols present in extra virgin olive oil, deteriorating its texture and making it lighter.

4. Keep the container closed.