I Was Deceived! So Were You.

I don't like feeling deceived.

Especially when I'm intentionally spending more money to make what I believe is a healthier choice.

But that's exactly how I felt when I saw the results of a new 2026 study from researchers at UC Davis.

Because some of the products involved are products I've bought, eaten and recommended.

Let's Back Up to 2020

This story actually starts several years ago.

In 2020, UC Davis researchers tested 22 brands of avocado oil sold in the United States.

The results weren't pretty.

At least 82% of the samples were either stale before their expiration date or mixed with other oils. Some bottles labeled "pure" or "extra virgin" avocado oil contained nearly 100% soybean oil.

But there was some good news.

Only two brands of refined avocado oil in that study were found to be both pure and non-oxidized.

Chosen Foods was one of them.

That's significant to me because Chosen Foods is the avocado oil I use.

The research gave consumers like me another reason to feel confident that we had found a trustworthy option.

Fast-forward six years...

Then Came the 2026 Study

In July 2026, UC Davis published results from another study.

This time researchers weren't testing bottles of avocado oil.

They tested processed foods that listed avocado oil as their only oil ingredient, foods like chips, mayonnaise and salad dressings.

Researchers purchased the products in 2025 and 2026 and analyzed their fatty acids and sterols, essentially chemical fingerprints that can help identify what type of oil is actually present.

They tested 54 avocado-oil-labeled samples.

48 failed the authenticity testing.

That's 89%.

Broken down by category:

93% of the chips
71% of the mayonnaises
100% of the salad dressings

contained oil profiles inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.

And remember: the products included in the study listed avocado oil as the only edible oil ingredient.

That's when this became personal.

These Weren't Random Brands I'd Never Heard Of

Among the products tested were brands many health-conscious consumers recognize and trust, including Chosen Foods, Primal Kitchen and Siete.

I've used these brands.

I've recommended some of these products.

I currently use Chosen Foods avocado oil and Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo (and have used Chosen Foods Mayo).

So yes...

I felt deceived.

Chosen Foods

Here's where we need to make an important distinction.

The bottle of Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil was NOT what researchers tested in the 2026 study.

So I am not telling you that Chosen Foods bottled avocado oil has been proven to contain seed oils.

In fact, remember that Chosen Foods was one of only two refined avocado oil brands found to be pure and non-oxidized in the 2020 UC Davis study.

What researchers tested in 2026 were Chosen Foods products made with avocado oil.

These were:

Chosen Foods Classic Mayo Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil
Chosen Foods Vegan Mayo Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil
Chosen Foods Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil
Chosen Foods Zesty Italian Dressing & Marinade Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil

Both lots tested of each of these products had oil profiles inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.

These were the only Chosen Foods products included in this particular study. Researchers did not test every Chosen Foods product made with avocado oil.

And of course, that raises another question for me:

What about their other products made with avocado oil?

We simply don't know from this research.

That's concerning to me.

It also leaves me with another question:

What about the bottle of Chosen Foods avocado oil sitting in my kitchen today?

The reassuring purity testing I'm aware of on that product dates back to 2020.

Six years is a long time.

That doesn't prove there's anything wrong with the oil I'm using today.

But after seeing the 2026 findings, I'd certainly like to see current independent testing.

Primal Kitchen

This one hit close to home too.

I've been using Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo because I specifically wanted mayonnaise made with avocado oil rather than the soybean, canola or other oils commonly found in conventional mayonnaise.

Three Primal Kitchen products were included:

Primal Kitchen Real Mayonnaise Made with Avocado Oil
Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil & Vinegar Vinaigrette & Marinade
Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing & Marinade Made with Avocado Oil

Both lots of all three products had oil profiles inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.

These were the only Primal Kitchen products included in this study. Researchers weren't testing Primal Kitchen's entire product line.

So again, what about their other products made with avocado oil?

This study can't answer that question.

Primal Kitchen Real Mayonnaise failed the avocado-oil authenticity criteria in both lots tested.

And so did Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo.

So the mayo I specifically chose because of the oil?

I'm reconsidering it.

And yes, I've already started investigating homemade mayo. 😉

And Then There's Siete...

This one bothered me too.

I use and recommend Siete products.

I've chosen them because many of their products have cleaner ingredient lists and because they offer avocado-oil options instead of the seed oils found in so many conventional chips and snacks.

I've even pointed my husband toward the avocado oil chips.

The study tested two Siete products:

Siete Kettle Cooked Sea Salt Potato Chips Made with Avocado Oil
Siete Maíz Sea Salt Corn Tortilla Chips Made with Avocado Oil

Both lots tested of both products had oil profiles inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.

These were the only Siete products included in the study.

So I don't want you to walk away from this thinking every Siete product was tested or that every Siete product contains adulterated avocado oil.

They weren't, and this study doesn't establish that.

What it does make me wonder is what we would find if more avocado-oil products from Siete and these other companies were independently tested.

I'd certainly like to know.

And this is where the details matter.

I don't want to tell you that all Siete products have a problem. That's not what this study showed. Researchers tested these specific products and specific lots purchased in 2025 and 2026.

But products from a brand I've trusted and recommended were among those whose oil profiles were inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.

Many of the inconsistent avocado-oil samples had profiles more consistent with vegetable oils such as canola, corn, soybean and/or sunflower oils. One sample in the study had a profile specifically consistent with soybean oil.

That matters to me.

If I'm recommending a product because it's made with avocado oil rather than another vegetable oil, I want to be confident that's what you're actually getting on my recommendation.

What About Salad Dressings?

This was one of the most striking findings for me.

Every single avocado-oil salad dressing tested failed.

All 12 samples from six products had oil profiles inconsistent with authentic avocado oil.

The avocado-oil dressings tested were:

Sprouts Balsamic Vinaigrette with Avocado Oil
Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil & Vinegar Vinaigrette & Marinade
Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing & Marinade Made with Avocado Oil
Chosen Foods Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil
Chosen Foods Zesty Italian Dressing & Marinade Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil
Briannas Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette Made with 100% Avocado Oil

Thankfully, I've made my own salad dressings for years.

It's one of those simple habits that suddenly looks even better to me.

And they're really easy to make!

Want my favorite homemade Italian and Greek salad dressing recipes? Shoot me an email and I'll send them to you!

So, Did ANY of the Avocado-Oil Products Pass?

This was one of my first questions too.

Yes, but there's an important catch.

Of the avocado-oil products tested, only two products passed in both lots:

Grove AvoYeah! Mayo Sauce Made with Avocado Oil
Grove AvoYeah! Garlic Aioli Sauce Made with Avocado Oil

Two additional chip products had mixed results:

LesserEvil Moonions Intergalactic Onion Made with Organic Avocado Oil passed one lot and failed the other.
Simply Tostitos Sea Salt & Avocado Oil Tortilla Chips passed one lot and failed the other.

That means six individual avocado-oil samples passed, but they represented only four products.

And only two products passed both lots.

That lot-to-lot difference is important because it suggests that even a good test result doesn't necessarily guarantee that another production lot of the same product will have the same oil composition.

How Did Researchers Test Avocado Oil Authenticity?

This wasn't based on taste, color or somebody looking at an ingredient label and making an assumption.

Researchers analyzed the oils' fatty-acid and sterol profiles.

They also investigated whether frying, emulsifying or other food processing could alter those chemical fingerprints enough to explain the results.

The changes were minimal.

And because avocado oil naturally varies depending on things like the avocado variety and where it was grown, researchers allowed a 10% margin of deviation.

Even with that wiggle room...

89% of the avocado-oil samples still failed.

But What About Olive Oil?

This is where the study gets even more interesting.

Researchers put 20 olive-oil-labeled processed food samples through the same type of testing.

Nineteen of the 20 were consistent with authentic olive oil.

The five olive-oil chip products tested were:

Boulder Canyon Olive Oil Classic Sea Salt Kettle Chips: one lot failed and one lot passed
Lay's Baked BBQ Potato Crisps with Olive Oil: both lots passed
Trader Joe's Kettle Cooked Potato Chips with Olive Oil: both lots passed
Torres Extra Virgin Olive Oil Potato Chips: both lots passed
Graza Extra Virgin Olive Oil Potato Chips: both lots passed

The olive-oil mayonnaises tested were:

Graza Original Mayo, made with olive pomace oil and extra virgin olive oil: both lots passed
Graza Fancy Mayo, made with 100% extra virgin olive oil: both lots passed

The olive-oil salad dressings tested were:

Bella Sun Luci Sonoma Vinaigrette Made with 100% Olive Oil: both lots passed
Bragg Organic Vinaigrette Made with 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil: both lots passed
California Olive Ranch Balsamic Vinaigrette Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil: both lots passed

All of the olive-oil mayonnaises passed.

All of the olive-oil salad dressings passed.

Nine of the 10 olive-oil chip samples passed.

The only olive-oil product with a failing sample was:

Boulder Canyon Olive Oil Classic Sea Salt Kettle Chips.

And even that result came with an interesting twist.

One lot failed, while the second lot passed.

So none of the olive-oil products tested failed in both lots.

That's quite a contrast to the avocado-oil results.

So Are These Companies Intentionally Deceiving Us?

We don't know.

And that's important.

The researchers themselves pointed out that the brands may not even know they're receiving adulterated avocado oil.

Food manufacturers may purchase oil through brokers or multiple suppliers. Somewhere along that supply chain, an oil represented as avocado oil could potentially be mixed with a cheaper oil before the food manufacturer ever receives it.

But manufacturers have a responsibility too.

As lead researcher Selina Wang explained, food companies can do more to test and verify the authenticity of the oils they're purchasing.

And ultimately, regardless of where the problem occurs...

We're the ones paying for it.

Literally.

Why This Bothers Me So Much

This isn't about believing one bite of food containing soybean or canola oil is going to destroy your health.

That's not the point.

It's about transparency.

People intentionally seek out these products.

We read labels.

We compare ingredients.

We pay more for products made with ingredients we believe are better choices for ourselves and our families.

If a label lists avocado oil as the only oil, we should be able to trust that we're actually getting avocado oil.

We shouldn't need a laboratory to verify our grocery cart.

One Important Limitation

I also don't want this research to say more than it actually says.

Researchers tested two production lots of each product, with products purchased in

California and online during 2025 and 2026.

This wasn't an ongoing monitoring program.

Suppliers can change. Sourcing can change. Formulations can change.

So these findings tell us what researchers found in the specific products and lots they tested. They don't prove that every package of one of these products on a shelf today has the same composition.

But they certainly give me reason to ask more questions.

What Am I Doing Now?

I'm not panicking.

But I am paying attention.

I'm reconsidering some of the packaged foods I've been buying, including my mayo.

I'm continuing to investigate brands and looking for current independent testing rather than relying solely on marketing claims or even old testing.

I'm reading labels every time, even on products I've purchased for years.

And when practical, I'm going back to something beautifully simple:

Make it myself.

I've made my own salad dressings for years.

And yes, homemade mayo may be happening in my kitchen soon. 😂

Because the more I learn about our food supply, the more I appreciate knowing exactly what's in my food.

There's One More Lesson Here

Being empowered about your health doesn't mean getting everything right.

I didn't knowingly choose these products thinking they contained something other than what the label said.

I made the best decision I could with the information I had.

Now I have new information.

So I can make a different decision.

That's what empowered health looks like.

Keep learning.

Keep asking questions.

Keep reading those labels.

And when something doesn't add up...

dig deeper.

I certainly will.

To your empowered health,

Sheri

Primal Kitchen, Siete and Chosen Foods avocado oil products discussed in avocado oil authenticity study

Sheri Johnson is a Functional Nutrition & Lifestyle Practitioner and founder of Empowered Health Coaching. She helps women uncover what may be driving concerns like low energy, hormone changes, inflammation, digestive issues, stubborn weight and poor sleep by looking at the whole person and addressing potential root causes.

Her personalized approach incorporates nutrition, lifestyle, functional blood chemistry and testing when appropriate to help clients understand their bodies and make sustainable changes that support long-term health and vitality.

Ready to discover what may be standing in the way of feeling your best? Schedule a complimentary 30-minute Empowered Health Strategy Call.

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