Today, we’ll go over some basics facts anyone in the natural food industry should know about olive oil.

At times, we may not take some of these facts into consideration — like that there is a shelf life for olive oil, and though it’s rather long, it’s not something that gets better with age like wine. Or that it does have some great health benefits (plus so much more).

If you deal with bulk oil in your job, these are some good things to keep into mind. Let’s dive in on some of these facts.

With non-GMO oil trends continuing to grow, it’s important to understand the difference between the oils that are naturally non-GMO and which ones have GMOs in them that you will specifically need to avoid.

When you are doing your research you want to make sure that the oil has all the necessary QA certifications in place. For example, if you need to verify your finished product with the Non-GMO Project, you’ll need to look for only Non-GMO Project Verified oils — but only for the high risk or commonly GMO oils. Focusing on that will help you make sure the oils you get are truly non-GMO.

How is organic extra virgin olive oil different than each of the other grades of olive oil? Today we will explain the difference between organic and regular extra virgin olive oil, as well as the difference between organic extra virgin and some of the other olive oil grades like Pure, Refined and Pomace.

When someone asks what you do for a living, do you get the usual response, “Oh you work with food, that sounds fun?” They wouldn’t be wrong — working in the food manufacturing world can be very fun and interesting.

There are so many reasons to love your food-industry job. Depending on what you do, there’s many reasons why: one example is that you can be on the forefront of up-and-coming trends in the food world that no one knows about. Other people love that there are many hands-on jobs where you get to make real, tangible products.

Do you ever find yourself wondering how olive pomace oil is made? Did you know it is the lowest grade of olive oil?

Olive pomace oil isn’t made like the other grades of olive oil. Today, I’ll go through an overview of the step-by-step process, which will help you understand how it’s made, so you can decide if it is the right fit for you and your company.

Worried about allergens when you’re choosing an oil ingredient for your natural food product? You’re not alone. This is something that multiple departments within your company will have to weigh in on: Purchasing, R&D, QA and Marketing. They will all play a part in this discussion when you’re producing a food product.

Have you ever had olive oil arrive to your home and it looks cloudy? Or perhaps you’ve pulled your olive oil out of a cold cabinet or garage, and seen the same thing?

You may ask yourself: Is this bad? Great question, and a common one, to boot.

The answer is simple: No, it is not bad. Have no fear, the oil has just simply solidified, which is a completely natural process that happens in the cold.

Here is a step by step guide for thawing out your oil whether you’re at home, in a small manufacturing facility, restaurant or commercial kitchen.

When looking to purchase bulk oil — olive oil, or any other oils for that matter — it is important to understand that each different supplier is going to have a minimum order. Distributors, for example may have a smaller minimum order like a few cases or a $200 minimum. Large manufacturers, on the other hand, will have a larger minimum order.

This “minimum order” information is good to know as you are doing your supplier analysis; it will tell you how much capitol you’ll be required to invest in inventory at one time and help you weigh out if it’s too much inventory for you to hold and use over time.

Canola Oil is commonly used in food manufacturing. But did you know that there are a few different kinds of canola oil available? If you’re overseeing the procurement for your next manufactured food product, you’ll need to compare each type of canola oil to decide which is going to be the right fit.

Today we will compare the two common options -- expeller pressed canola oil vs. regular (often called ‘conventional’) canola oil. We’ll look at how they’re made, along with what makes expeller pressed canola oil different, especially for healthy companies like yours.

Do you think that showing at a trade show would be beneficial for your company? Do you also find yourself not knowing where to start?

There’s so much misinformation about canola oil out there. Part of the problem is that the issues people find with it are only sometimes true. To understand the full story, you have to know when the claims about canola oil are actually true and when they are false.

Today, I’ll be tackling some myths and truths about organic canola oil in particular, and how they relate to their conventional (GMO) vs. organic counterparts.

Whether you’re a natural food manufacturer or a food service distributor, finding the right supplier for your goods can be a tedious process.

We talk a lot about the different grades of olive oil: how they’re made, what they’re used for. But, it’s been a while since we talked about Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in particular. Sometimes, organic EVOO seems so straight forward that it’s easy to glance over.

This week, I’d like to bring it back to this classic, premium (and my personal favorite) oil. Here’s some basics about Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil that you should know.

Olive oil shelf life is truly a important thing we need to be aware of. Every distributor may have a different answer for you in regards to how long they suggest olive oil to last for. As for Centra Foods, our oils have a shelf life of 2 years (or 24 months) which is based on the date of manufacturing.

Here’s more about what you need to know about the shelf life of olive oil and why it’s so variable.

The popularity of safflower and sunflower oil have skyrocketed in natural food products in the last five years. Of course, before then, these were always oils that were both used occasionally — they just weren’t as popular to the same extreme that they are now.

With the recent trend towards natural and premium ingredients, these two oils have struck a chord with the natural food crowd.

They both contain characteristics that natural food manufacturers want to include in their products. Below, we’ll review each of the different features of these oils that makes them so likable.