Which olive oils have the least amount of phthalate contamination? Phthalates are hormone-disrupting chemicals found in plastics that find their way into many foods and personal care products. To solve this puzzle, Mamavation sent several of the most popular olive oils off to an EPA-certified laboratory to test for several types of phthalates to find out. You’ve trusted Mamavation to cover topics like safest salt sans heavy metals and microplastics, safest cookware without PFAS “forever chemicals” and nanoparticles, and safest water purifiers that filter PFAS, now join us for another consumer study on olive oils and hormone-disrupting phthalates.
Disclosure: This consumer study is released in partnership with Environmental Health News. Scientific reviews were performed by (1) Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry & Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, (2) Linda S. Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, & Yale University, & (3) Pete Myers, Chief Scientist at Environmental Health Sciences, Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, and Co-Author of Our Stolen Future. This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Environmental Health News and Mamavation community members. Note that Mamavation has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that we have not tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. This post contains affiliate links, with most to Amazon, which means Mamavation will receive a portion of those sales and we will use that to pay ourselves back for the testing. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you! Copyright © 2024 Mamavation — All Rights Reserved
Phthalates Found in Popular Olive Oils
Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory found phthalates in 13 popular olive oils. These chemicals are linked to serious health effects, which we will discuss later. Because phthalates are so problematic to hormones, Mamavation has commissioned our own scientific studies on phthalates in food products to make recommendations for the safest olive oils. Read Mamavation’s articles on these products to find which brands have the lowest amounts of phthalates according to our laboratory.
For this consumer study, Mamavation sent 13 popular olive oils from 13 brands to an EPA-certified laboratory looking for phthalates. Because Mamavation only tested one product per brand, we cannot claim to know if these issues are, in fact, industry-wide or portfolio-wide. However, based on our “spot-check” of the industry, this is what we found:
100% of olive oils analyzed by our laboratory had traces of phthalates. This is a total of 13 detections from 13 olive oil products.
Ranges of phthalates were from 655 parts per billion (ppb) to 6,092 ppb. Based on the amounts presented, we created 3 categories to communicate levels of phthalates found: (1) Olive oils with the most contamination, (2) Olive oils with intermediate contamination, & (3) Olive oils with the least contamination. These categories are not based on health impacts. They are based on presenting data and where the middle ground lies in each category. At the end, when we presented the raw data, we then added recent testing done by Defend Our Health on olive oils to give you a more robust list of options.
23% of olive oil products had over 2,000 ppb phthalates. That’s 3 out of 13 bottles of olive oils over 2000 ppb. We dubbed this the “Olive oils with the most contamination” realm.
46% of olive oil products had between 1,200 ppb and 2,000 ppb phthalates. That’s 6 out of 13 bottles of olive oil between 1,200 ppb and 2000 ppb. We dubbed this the “olive oils with intermediate contamination” realm.
30% of olive oil products had less than 1,200 ppb phthalates. That’s 4 out of 13 bottles of olive oil that had below 1,200 ppb. We dubbed this the “olive oils with the least contamination” realm.
In other words, all bottles of olive oil we sent to the lab had traces of phthalates. If you are using olive oil to prepare meals for your family, this investigation will be very important to follow to reduce your family’s exposure to phthalates. However, as you can see, every olive oil manufacturer whose products Mamavation studied has work to do to remove phthalates from their products. None of the olive oils that were tested by Mamavation or by Defend Our Health had no detections of phthalates.
Phthalates are typically found inside plastics and in undisclosed fragrances. When inside plastics, they work to make the plastic more flexible. When they are inside fragrances, they help carry the scent longer in the air. These chemical contaminants are found in many types of products that are involved in the food service industry like food service gloves, tubing used in dairy operations, hoses, holding tanks, and conveyor belts inside manufacturing plants. In fact, there are so many places where phthalates can show up because they are legal indirect food additives used in manufacturing for both conventional AND organic foods. There is some movement to restrict some ortho-phthalate chemicals from food packaging but not from manufacturing in general.
Linda S. Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, & Yale University had this to say about the study after her review: “Phthalates cause multiple adverse health effects, including developmental effects on the reproductive system and neurotoxicity. There is also evidence for causing cancer in laboratory animals.”
Additional Studies Finding Phthalates in Olive Oils
Another scientific report co-authored by our friends at Defend Our Health published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found phthalates in a range of popular children’s foods and organic products in 2023. Included in this report were 8 olive oils.
Mamavation took the results from this report and added it to our list of recommendations on the bottom of this post for your review. 100% of the olive oils tested by Defend Our Health also had trace amounts of phthalates, confirming this is an industry-wide problem. It’s not so much a question of are there phthalates present in oils, it’s a matter of what levels are they present. Both of our studies confirmed that there are different levels present within products.
Phthalates Have Specific Problematic Health Effects
Phthalates are linked to many health effects from several studies on both animals and humans. This is very problematic because phthalates are linked with hormone disruption of the endocrine system, which regulates the body’s hormones, even in trace amounts in low concentrations. Epidemiological studies have revealed that exposure to phthalates adversely affects the level of hormones within the body, which can impact several important health functions. Here are some health effects phthalate exposure is linked to.
Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry & Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University had this to say about the study during his scientific review: “It is awful that food like olive oil that we consider healthy and promoting of longevity is widely contaminated with phthalates. Olive oil is almost a sacred food that mothers buy thinking they are advancing the health of their children, right? Phthalates can impact us adversely at low doses in many ways, and especially to compromise reproductive development. Mamavation’s study highlights several key points associated with the welfare of our families and the sustainability of our civilization. First, the olive oil manufacturers clearly must not understand how perilous small phthalate exposures, or small exposures of any endocrine-disrupting chemicals, can be. Second, we want all the producers of food products to learn quickly about the endocrine-disrupting chemicals in their products and remove them posthaste. Third, except perhaps for limited special circumstances, we need to stop making phthalates.”
How are Phthalates Regulated in the Food Supply & Children’s Products?
Because phthalates are so problematic to human health, there are varying restrictions on products and food at the federal level There is, however, no consistency among federal agencies to protect the public. For instance, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) restricts certain phthalates within children’s toys and childcare products. They prohibit the import and sale of those products that contain more than 0.1% of the following phthalates:
di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)
dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP)
diisononyl phthalate (DINP)
diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)
di-n-pentyl phthalate (DPENP)
di-n-hexyl phthalate (DHEXP)
dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP)
Even though the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission restricted 8 ortho-phthalates in products intended for use by children, you still see these same chemicals approved as indirect additives by the FDA in the food supply even when those foods are marketed to children. Furthermore, the FDA recently denied a citizen petition in 2022 demanding to take these phthalate chemicals out of the food supply because they impact the hormones of children.
California also has some restrictions under the Prop. 65 list of Carcinogens and Reproductive Toxicants, whereas if products are sold over the limits they provide they must be accompanied by a warning. Any consumer living in California who tests and finds products with specific phthalate amounts outside the limits may bring a Prop. 65 lawsuit six months after serving the company with a public notification letter. However, be advised these limits are not enforceable. California’s “right to know” law is only about warning the consumer about the carcinogenic chemicals present. Therefore, California cannot force companies to recall products that are above these limits. Here are the criteria:
BBP – Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADL) 1,200 μg/day (oral)
DBP – MADL 8.7 μg/day
DEHP – No Significant Risk Level (NSRL) 310 μg/day (adult), MADL 4,200 μg/day (intravenous)
DIDP – MADL 2,200 μg/day
DINP – NSRL 146 μg/day
DnHP – MADL 2,200 μg/day
In terms of olive oils, it’s very likely the vast majority of phthalates are finding their way into the product during manufacturing, storage, or transportation. Under the Food & Drug Administration 21 CFR rules, it regulates food, drugs, cosmetics, and food contact materials within the United States. The FDA sanctioned the use of 25 plasticizers via an amendment to food additive regulations: 21 CFR Part 175 through 21 CFR Part 178. These regulations allow the use of phthalates in the food supply as “indirect food additives” that can be present. These chemicals can find their way into your food in many ways during manufacturing such as:
Adhesives and components of coatings used in food contact materials.
Components of paper and paperboard, such as paperboard that is in contact with aqueous and fatty foods or used as a defoaming agent on the paperboard.
Adjuvants, production aids, and sanitizers used in manufacturing.
Plasticizers in polymeric substances, such as phthalates in plastic PVA or PVC sheets in food contact materials OR vinyl chloride homopolymers or copolymers used in food contact materials.
Surface lubricants used to make metallic products.
The European Union has banned or restricted several phthalates in a wide range of products since July 2020 such as DEHP, DBP, DIBP, and BBP. These bans and restrictions include children’s swimming aids, flooring, coated fabrics and paper, recreational gear, mattresses, footwear, and office supplies, among other categories. These chemicals are not expected to be found in foods above certain thresholds, however, not all phthalates are restricted or tested for and the European Union is further regulating this category of chemicals.
Potential Ways Phthalates Get Into Olive Oils During Manufacturing
The basic way of making olive oil has existed for thousands of years, but there have been some changes in the last few decades. Unfortunately, every step from olives being picked off a tree to olive oil being packaged and sold can increase the amount of phthalates your family is exposed to.
Harvest the olives at the exact right time. What is used to capture and store these olives? Is machinery used to pick the olives and if so, are there any plastic parts that touch the olives? What are the olives stored in before they are processed? Is plastic used for storage and transport? Are conveyor belts that take the olives from storage to factory made from plastics? The answer to these questions can increase or decrease the amount of phthalates in the bottle.
Crush the olives into a paste. What type of machinery is used for this process and is any type of polymer (plastic) used? Are olives moved through any plastic tubing? Are fiber discs used to crush the olives and if so, do they contain any polymers or have they ever been cleaned? If so, this can increase the amount of phthalates in a bottle.
Separate the solids from the liquids and capture both. The olive paste can be used for animal feed, while the liquid is what is really wanted. The act of separating the solids from the liquids, such as having plastic filters, is also another step that can involve polymers and can increase the amount of phthalates in a bottle of olive oil.
Then further separate the olive water from the olive oil. This extraction method and refinement is what creates that distinctive flavor and quality and the mechanical means by which this happens has changed quite a bit over the years. Equipment and new processes, like filtering or extraction, may impact the amount of phthalates you are exposed to.
Bottle up the olive oil and send to the store. We did notice that most of the organic brands were bottled in dark glass bottles, however, what were they exposed to before they were put into that bottle? Did the machine have any plastic parts? Is the olive oil stored in another type of container before they are bottled or run through a machine that may have plastic parts? Again, this can impact the amount of phthalates in the olive oil.
The answers to all the questions here can impact the amount of phthalates found in a bottle of olive oil. From brand to brand, we do not know the answers to these questions. However, each scenario can impact what the laboratory finds. Because olive oil is a high-fat ingredient (and because phthalates are attracted to fat), it’s sensible to expect plastics used in the production of olive oil to be a contaminant issue just as they are with dairy. For instance, at dairy farms, the tubing used to transport the milk to storage can contain phthalates that can leach into the milk. This is an example of how it happens in other high-fat foods. More study of this process is needed to ascertain what the worst contamination issues are in the olive oil industry.
Other Categories of Products Mamavation Has Tested for Toxic Contaminants
Before we launch into the raw data from our lab, we wanted to remind you about all the other studies we have done on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals,” pesticides & heavy metals inside the food and consumer products you may bring inside your home. Each one of these studies were done in a similar fashion as this study with brands sent independently to the lab and raw data of those labs at the bottom of the post.
Mamavation’s Investigation of Olive Oils & Phthalates
For this study, olive oils were purchased between February 2023 and April 2024. Each product was recorded in our database and sent directly to the lab within its original packaging. Unfortunately, 100% of olive oils tested had trace amounts of ortho-phthalates, a class of hormone-disrupting chemicals.
To make this a more user-friendly list, we have combined our raw data with raw data from the study done in 2023 from Defend Our Health to give you more options. As you can see, the purpose behind this consumer study is not about completely removing phthalates from your olive oil, but instead about selecting a food product with lower amounts of phthalates.
Mamavation’s EPA-certified lab tested for the following phthalates. This is not a complete list of all the phthalates that are allowed to be present as an indirect food additive according to the FDA, however, this list goes above and beyond what is already restricted by the European Union or the State of California and mirrors what was tested in 2023 by Defend Our Health.
Diethyl phthalate (DEP)
Di-n-propyl phthalate (DPP)
Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
Dihexyl phthalate (DnHP)
Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP)
Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP)
Diisononyl phthalate (DINP)
Di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP)
Diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP)
bis(2-Ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)
Dimethyl phthalate (DMP)
Bis(2-propylheptyl) Phthalate (DPHP)
Didecyl phthalate (DDP)
Mamavation’s Raw Data on Phthalates in Olive Oil
Olive Oils with The Most Contamination
This category contains olive oils with more than 2,000 ppb total phthalates. Olive oils marked with a * were from testing done in 2023 by Defend Our Health and added here for more variety. Mamavation is basing our study only on products tested by our EPA-certified lab, but also bringing in more options that were tested and released in 2023 for more information for our audience.
Olive Oils with Intermediate Contamination
This category represents olive oils containing between 1200 ppb and 2000 ppb total phthalates. Olive oils marked with a * were from testing done in 2023 by Defend Our Health and added here for more variety. Mamavation is basing our study only on products tested by our EPA-certified lab, but also bringing in more options that were tested and released in 2023 for more information for our audience.
*Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Total phthalates = 1,739 ppb
*Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Total phthalates = 1,363 ppb
*Filippo Berio California Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Total phthalates = 1,739 ppb
Gundry MD Chef’s Select Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Total phthalates = 1640.76 ppb
Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive OIl Cold Extracted — Total phthalates = 1,404.29 ppb
La Tourangelle Artisan Made Extra Virgin Olive Oil Bright & Peppery Organic — Total phthalates = 1,504.05 ppb
Lucini Organic Premium Select 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil First Cold Press — Total phthalates = 1,445.15 ppb
Pasolivo Classic Olive Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil Handcrafted in California — Total phthalates = 1,932.32 ppb
*Pompeian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Robust — Total phthalates = 1,340 ppb
*Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Robust — Total phthalates = 1,781 ppb
Terra Delyssa First Cold Pressed Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Total phthalates = 1,619.39 ppb
Olive Oils with the Least Contamination
This category represents olive oils with less than 1,200 ppb total phthalates. Olive oils marked with a * were from testing done in 2023 by Defend Our Health and added here for more variety. Mamavation is basing our study only on products tested by our EPA-certified lab, but also bringing in more options that were tested and released in 2023 for more information for our audience.
Call To Action for Mamavation Readers
We hate delivering to you just bad news, but we are proposing some calls to action that we believe will get the ball rolling. Just because there are no “non-detects” today does not mean that we can’t have improvement in the future. Here’s what we propose consumers & businesses do:
1. Consumers: Shop with the “Olive oils with the Least Contamination” ranked brands (mentioned above), and send an email to your favorite olive oil company’s customer service email (yes they read these!) asking them to share with you how they monitor and test for phthalate contamination. The more we ask them, the more they will look into this.
2. Business: Immediately start testing for phthalates in your finished goods, and start immediate conversations with your manufacturing partners about how and where phthalate exposure could be coming from.
3. Government: Call the FDA and ask them to investigate the use of phthalates in olive oil production and transportation. 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)