Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth.

                                  - Sheryl Louise Moller

This quote struck me when I started reading Eat, Pray, Love a number of years ago.  I still hear it in the back of my concious.

Since I started working for Centra Foods and dove head first into the olive oil industry, I've heard it a lot, replaying in my head.  It's the real reason why I give such candid advice, and why, at the end of the day, I just want to point you in the right direction, teach you something, and answer your questions sincerely.

Many of you know me, you read the blogs that I write, but you still may not have an inside look at the olive oil industry-- the world that I live in day in and day out.  

I'd like to invite you inside now; it's a complex, interesting world in here.

What nationality of people do you think eat (and drink, yes, did you know people do that?) the most olive oil?

A few years ago, I personally would have guessed the Italians.  Makes sense, right?  A lot of olive oil comes from there, it's the epitome of the Mediterranean lifestyle.

Before we go any further, place your wagers now!

Drumroll please...

The era of Non-GMO is upon us.

No matter how you feel about the non-GMO movement, it's a fact that it's in full swing in the food industry, and it's still picking up speed.  

This movement, still in its adolescence, will come in stages.  It's childhood was the blossoming of demand for non-GMO foods and the establishment of small companies and niche brands that catered to this new trend.  Next comes the transition of large mainstream companies to non-GMO, as they hop on the bandwagon.  In fact, we're just moving into phase two of this movement now.  

This evolution of large companies "hopping on board" has an affect on the entire supply and demand chain for non-GMO ingredients.  If you also buy non-GMO, it will affect how your business gets ingredients, if they're available and what the prices are.  

You'll want to know this, and you'll want to begin preparing now.

It's clear that interest in olive oil has taken an upturn in recent years.  More interestingly though, it's also clear that there is still a lot of confusion surrounding olive oil.  

A 2014 national attitude and usage study was released by the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) and co-financed by the International Olive Council (IOC).  This survey found that while consumers are interested in the world of olive oil, they're confused about important factors and many myths still exist.

Here are 3 of the most common myths -- and the truth behind those myths.

Olive oil is known for being delicious-- perfect for Italian recipes, natural foods, sauteeing, cooking and (my favorite) Caprese salad.

But did you know that it's good for so many more things?  Things like:

• Natural skin & body care
• Your daily beauty regimen
• Home & garden care
• And much more

Here's 20 of our favorite uses for olive oil.

Imported olive oil versus its domestic counterpart seems to be an ever growing debate in the olive oil industry here in the US.  

Many manufacturers wonder if they should be using a US-grown olive oil, or if they will need to rely on imported olive oil to fulfill their needs.  The answer lies in looking closely at domestic olive oil-- both the wonderful traits of the oil itself and the US olive oil industry as a whole.  

With the rise of gourmet olive oil retailers and the growing concern about oil adulteration, a turn towards domestic sources (read: high quality oil, from trusted suppliers close to home) is a natural one.  But for the manufacturing industry specifically, there are inherent challenges that would emerge by relying on only US sources for oil.

Whole Foods is showing their support for a consumers “right to know” concerning GMOs. At the Natural Products Expo West in spring of 2013, they announced that by 2018 all products in their US and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate if they contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

This 5 year deadline will allow them to work with manufacturers to help transition their ingredients to non-GMO sources and/or change all appropriate labeling to clearly state when ingredients containing GMOs are used.