Buying Olive Oil for Lighting Candles? Here's the List of Counterfeit Oils

Chanukah is approaching, and many Jewish people are searching store shelves for olive oils - the most preferred oils for lighting candles. The National Unit for Kosher Fraud Law Enforcement has issued a warning that in recent years, many oils with counterfeit kosher certification have been found, as well as oils marketed as olive oil that aren't olive oil at all. Some are completely fake, while others contain minimal olive oil mixed with cheaper, simpler oils.

In a kosher update currently being published and signed by Rabbi Yaakov Sabag, Head of the Kashrut Division, and Rafi Yochai, Director of the National Unit for Kosher Fraud Law Enforcement, they warn that counterfeit olive oil sometimes poses concerns about orlah (fruit from young trees), complications with produce from the sabbatical year, and the potential use of non-kosher ingredients or those not kosher for Passover. They also emphasize that according to Israeli standards, it is absolutely forbidden to produce and market oil as olive oil when it contains other oils, such as soybean oil. Even labeling it as "mixed" alongside olive oil designation is prohibited by this standard.

The kosher update emphasizes that a large portion of the public insists on using specifically olive oil for lighting Shabbat candles and Chanukah candles, or for health reasons, making deception in this matter extremely serious. From a health perspective, some people are allergic to soybean oil, and counterfeit oils could put them at risk.

The update further notes that "There are bottles in markets labeled as 'oil for lighting' that sometimes feature images of olive trees or olive branches to give customers the impression that these are genuine olive oils. We would like to clarify that oils not explicitly labeled as olive oil may contain mixed oils, so it's important to verify the oil source before purchasing."

Rabbi Sabag and Rabbi Yochai explain that counterfeit olive oils can often be identified by their low prices, ranging from 10 to 20 shekels per liter. Additionally, they list the following oils as having been found with counterfeit kosher certification in recent years: