Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: Slipping through our fingers

The edible oils market is a mess. Mislabelling is common, as are outright lies about process and provenance. And extra virgin is not the virtue you think it is

While most of us are concerned about the contamination of food (say, the recent uproar about packaged spices), and by the effect of Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) on our bodies, there is one area where we don’t really bother too much about what we are consuming.

Extra virgin olive oil, which is supposed to be healthy, can be low-quality if the brand uses inferior oil. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

When looking for good quality oils, examine their provenance and how they have been extracted. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Kapil Batra of JaiPure is surprised by what an uphill struggle it is to sell good-quality oil in India.

Even coconut oil, which is called a miracle oil, is usually heavily processed. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Jaipure’s edible oils come from organic seeds and are cold-pressed to retain the oil’s nutritive value.

Sunflower oil, advertised as a healthy oil, can sometimes be diluted with cheaper oils. (SHUTTERSTOCK)