How Safe Is Your Olive Oil?

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Question:
I love olive oils, especially those with garlic or herbs soaking in the bottle. But I've heard that they can give you food poisoning. Is that true?

Answer:
Yes. Some garlic- or herb- flavored oils could be contaminated with a toxin that causes botulism, a type of food poisoning that can kill. Initial symptoms may include blurred vision, muscle paralysis, and speech and breathing difficulties. In fact, the toxin involved is so potent that a thumbnail's worth of the pure substance is enough to kill 10 million people!

The toxin doesn't just appear, however. It's produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which thrives in the oxygen-deprived atmosphere of a bottle of oil. Furthermore, storing the bottle under warm conditions (even at room temperature) encourages the bacteria to grow -- and produce more toxin. You're unlikely to find this type of bacteria in a bottle of plain, unflavored oil. That's because C. botulinum comes from the garlic or the herb, not the oil.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires such products to contain phosphoric or citric acid, which discourage bacteria from growing, and to bear labels stating the need for refrigeration. This action was in response to an episode several years ago when three people were hospitalized for botulism after eating a commercially prepared garlic-in- oil product that had been stored at room temperature.

If you purchase flavored oil products, make sure you heed the label warning, especially after you have opened them. If you choose to make your own herb- or garlic-flavored oils, including margarine or butter mixtures, use them immediately and throw out any unused portion since you don't have the protection of citric or phosphoric acids. Even then, be careful when you use these products, because you can't detect the presence of C. botulinum by smell, sight, or taste.

To be safest, I strongly recommend sticking to the wide variety of naturally flavorful oils on the market, such as sesame, nut, and olive oils. They don't contain any herb or spice additives and therefore pose less of a health risk. Then use your herbs and garlic as seasonings. They'll add great flavors to your meal, with far less risk of food poisoning.

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