The Study That Shook the World of Avocado Oil

Avocado oil became a favorite of millions of health-conscious consumers looking for a clean, high-heat cooking fat that didn't come from the industrial seed-oil machine. But a recent study from UC Davis calls into question the authenticity of the avocado oil ingredients claims on many popular processed food products, from potato chips to mayonnaise.

Is the avocado oil even real?

Some of it, at least, is probably fraudulent. But here's the part where I part ways with the overnight outrage crowd: I'm not going to grab torches and pitchforks until I have dug deeper into the details. I have spent enough time in food science labs to know that adulteration is absolutely real, but also that sloppy lab work, bad calibration curves, and misleading sampling can turn a genuine scandal into a manufactured one. The right response to avocado oil fraud is not panic. It is rigorous investigation.

I have been warning for years that processed food labels are unreliable. This is not a conspiracy theory; it is an industry reality. When a premium ingredient commands a premium price, someone will always try to water it down. The only open question is how many brands are doing it.

What the UC Davis Study Actually Shows

What do we actually know from the University of California, Davis investigation that made headlines? According to the Food Control report, “a vast majority of commercially available avocado oils labeled as 'extra virgin'” are not what they claim. ^[1] This is not a minor labeling problem. If a consumer is paying premium prices for a high-quality monounsaturated fat, and the bottle is filled with a cheaper, lower-grade oil, that is theft by deception.

Why should you care what the filler oil is? Because the cheap substitutes are not neutral. “Seed oils are significant contributors to cancer as well,” Dr. Mercola warns, noting that animal studies have shown “diets containing 4% to 10% of energy from LA can induce cancer in animals.” ^[2] If you think you are buying avocado oil to escape the linoleic acid bomb of modern processed food, and you are actually getting a cheap seed oil, you have been conned in a way that directly affects your health, not just your wallet.

Do not mistake this for a niche concern. Processed foods are a leading driver of metabolic disease, and so-called health foods that contain hidden seed oils are among the worst offenders. If a product says avocado oil but delivers a bottle of cheap seed oil, it is making a fool of every customer who believed the label.

Why 'Made With 100% Avocado Oil' Means Almost Nothing

The words “made with” are doing an enormous amount of dirty work on food labels. A bag of chips fried in cheap seed oil can legally contain a tiny splash of avocado oil and still advertise “made with 100% avocado oil” on the front of the package. To the average shopper, that sounds like the chips were cooked entirely in avocado oil. To the food manufacturer, it means they met the absolute minimum definition of the phrase. That is not a mistake; it is an intentional design.

This is why I always recommend being cautious when it comes to food labels. ^[3] “If a product's ingredients are unclear or unrecognizable, I suggest avoiding it altogether.” ^[3] My own lab has scrutinized many so-called pure ingredient powders and oils over the years that were not pure at all. Some suppliers lie. Some brands blindly trust their suppliers. The result is the same: you pay for a premium product and get a cheap imitation.

Front labels are marketing, not chemistry. The fine print can be gamed, and the hero ingredient can be reduced to a tiny fraction of the formula. If the phrase “made with” is doing the heavy lifting, the manufacturer is telling you exactly what they want you to believe, not what is actually in the package.

Why I'm Not Leaping to Conclusions About the Science, However

Now for the part that might surprise you: I am not leaping to conclusions about every brand named in this mess. I run a food science lab. I have seen accredited labs produce results that were off by an order of magnitude because someone used the wrong standard, the wrong column, or the wrong calibration curve. That does not make the avocado oil scandal imaginary. It means the details must be checked before a company's reputation is destroyed. Verification is the difference between journalism and mob justice.

We already know how easy it is for supposedly reputable oil producers to cut corners. “Be careful, however -- most commercial olive oil products today are so oxidized,” notes the book Radical Metabolism. ^[4] If the same pattern has infected avocado oil, the answer is not to ignore it, and it is also not to assume every label is equally guilty. Some companies are crooks. Some are innocent victims of dishonest suppliers. Both realities demand the same response: independent testing.

I want to see lot-specific certificates of analysis. I want to see raw chromatograms, calibration standards, and chain-of-custody documentation. I want to interview the researchers and the brands that claim they are innocent. This is the discipline that separates real verification from a frenzy of uncheckable accusations.

The Bottom Line: Trust, But Verify

Here is why this matters in practical terms: do not blindly trust any processed food claim, including “avocado oil” products. The financial incentive to cut premium oil with cheap seed oil is enormous, and the industry has repeatedly shown that profits come before honesty. “There is a conspiracy out there aimed at making money rather than promoting health,” one investigation observed. ^[5] If your food is made in a factory, the label is negotiating with you, not informing you.

That does not mean avocados themselves are part of the problem. Whole avocados remain a legitimate, nutrient-dense food. “Avocados are also rich in cancer-fighting carotenoids, which are most plentiful in the dark-green portion of the flesh that's closest to the skin,” writes Dr. Joseph Mercola in Fat for Fuel. ^[6] The issue is the processed product, not the fruit.

Buy whole avocados. Read labels with suspicion. Demand verifiable lab results from every brand that asks for your money. This is exactly why I built my own food science testing lab, and why every ingredient I sell through HealthRangerStore.com is laboratory tested. I do automatically trust suppliers, farmers or raw materials wholesalers. I test and verify. That's why we're known for providing ultra-clean foods, supplements and personal care products.

References

1. “Why You Should Avoid Using Most Avocado Oil” - Mercola.com. Dr. Joseph Mercola. July 08, 2020.
2. “Silent Kitchen Killer Soars 25x Worse Than” - Mercola.com. Dr. Joseph Mercola. July 17, 2023.
3. “Mike Adams interview with Bassima Williams” - Mike Adams. March 11, 2025.
4. “Radical Metabolism: A Powerful Plan to Blast Fat and Reignite Your Energy” - Ann Louise Gittleman and Valerie J Burke.
5. “TTAC live2017 event full transcripts digital” - The Truth About Cancer.
6. “Fat for Fuel: A Revolutionary Diet to Combat Cancer, Boost Brain Power, and Increase Your Energy” - Joseph Mercola.

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