Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into food companies that market products as “made with avocado oil,” following reports that some may contain undisclosed seed oils and other ingredients not listed on the product label.
The use of avocado oil has become increasingly popular in kitchens and food products across the U.S. as an alternative to seed oils, with consumers often paying a premium for products marketed as “made with avocado oil.”
Paxton’s office cited a recent study conducted by UC Davis that investigated processed foods labeled as solely using avocado oil. Researchers found that the majority of products tested included other oils as well.
According to the study, it was discovered that “of the products tested, 93 percent of chips, 71 percent of mayonnaises and 100 percent of salad dressings labeled as authentic avocado oil contained other oils.”
“Consumers should not have to worry if they are being deceived by labels when trying to choose healthier options at the grocery store,” said Paxton. “I will not allow companies to fraudulently mislabel products. My office will hold accountable any company that violates the law and misleads Texans about what is actually in their food.”
When researchers applied the same purity test to olive oil-based processed products, only one out of 20 failed.
UC Davis argues that this gap between olive oil- and avocado oil-based products is because the authenticity of olive oil “has been studied, tested and scrutinized for decades” and avocado oil is a relatively new product that “has not been monitored at the same level.”
The attorney general’s office has issued civil investigative demands to food companies Primal Kitchen, Siete Foods, and Chosen Foods, with additional companies to possibly follow. The investigation will determine whether the companies violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by deceiving consumers.
In a public statement, Chosen Foods refuted the study’s claims as “simply not true,” adding that they “never add seed oils of any kind to any of our products.”
The company told Texas Scorecard that it is “committed to providing high-quality products and accurate labeling” and is “aware of the Attorney General’s announcement and will cooperate with any appropriate inquiries.”
Primal Kitchen and Siete Foods did not respond to a request for comment before publishing.
