Bertolli Olive Oil Spread — ENGINEERED

Munch or Dump rates Bertolli Olive Oil Spread by Bertolli ENGINEERED — score 30/90.

A margarine dressed up as olive oil. It's a blend of refined rapeseed and palm oil emulsified into a spreadable fat, with olive oil making up just 10 percent.

Why this verdict

• Refined rapeseed and palm oil are the first two ingredients; olive oil is only 10 percent
• Two emulsifiers (mono-/diglycerides plus lecithin) hold this engineered fat together
• Palm oil brings saturated fat and a heavy environmental footprint
• 'Natural flavourings' and added vitamins dress up a processed fat spread

Ingredients (9)

• rapeseed oil (safe) — A source of healthy fats and often used in cooking.
• Palm Oil (moderate) — Saturated-fat-heavy oil used in the crust.
• Olive oil (10%) (safe) — The marketing star, but only 10 percent and not extra-virgin. Some monounsaturated benefit, heavily diluted.
• Water (safe) — Used as a basic ingredient in bread.
• Salt (11%) (moderate) — Modest added sodium for flavour.
• BUTTERMILK (safe) — Dried dairy for flavor.
• Emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, lecithin) (moderate) — Two stacked emulsifiers to bind fat and water - a hallmark of industrial processing.
• Natural Flavourings (moderate) — Undisclosed flavor compounds added to make refined spread taste buttery.
• Vitamins A and D (safe) — Fortification added to a processed base; modest benefit but doesn't redeem the formula.