New UC Davis Study Confirms Avocado Oil Fraud Has Moved into Chips, Mayonnaises and Dressings

As one of the only avocado oil refineries operating in the United States, Adams Group provides ingredient brands and CPG manufacturers with fully traceable, 100% purity-verified avocado oil: built to deliver what the label promises.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Six years ago, a UC Davis study found that 82% of products sold as avocado oil in the U.S. were either rancid or secretly cut with less expensive seed oils. A new 2026 UC Davis follow-up study shows the fraud didn't go away; it expanded. Adulteration is now widespread in the fast-growing "Made with Avocado Oil" categories: chips, mayonnaise and salad dressings. The economics explain why. Pure conventional avocado oil costs $4-$5 per pound. Seed oils cost $.50-$1.50. The label premium is real; the oil often isn't.

A purity claim is only as good as the supplier behind it. Purity isn't a single test — it's a system. One that starts at the source, runs through every step of refining, and lives in the lot-level documentation behind every delivery. The brands that build it right in the next twelve months will own the category. The ones that don't will be the next headline." — Wayne Adams, CEO of Adams Group

Adams Group's retail brand Marianne's avocado oil was one of only two brands that tested 100% pure in the UC Davis 2020 research. In the 2026 UC Davis study, Marianne's avocado oil was used as the benchmark for purity.

The findings from the 2026 UC Davis Study are bleak: 93% of chips labeled "100% pure avocado oil" were found to be adulterated. Mayonnaise fared no better — 71% failed the same promise, but look closer at the U.S.-made data specifically, and that number climbs to 100%. Salad dressings were 100% adulterated, across the board. Consumers paying a premium for a cleaner oil are being misled at nearly every turn and the brands responsible have continued making claims they cannot back up. The study makes one thing clear: in a category full of false promises, the label cannot be trusted. But Adams Group has built its business around a different standard.

Adams Group defines purity different from the rest. As one of the only avocado oil refineries in the U.S., Adams Group controls the full processing chain from crude intake through finished ingredient delivery. Every incoming load undergoes authenticity testing before refining begins.

Bulk avocado oil costs up to 5x more than seed oils, making adulteration a common and calculated business decision. Most suppliers test only the fatty acid portion of CODEX standards which alone does not verify purity and can be adulterated by up to 30-40% with other oils and still pass. Adams Group tests all three CODEX markers: fatty acid profile, sterol composition, and tocopherol levels. We reject any load showing evidence of adulteration before refining begins.

Adams Group supplies wholesale avocado oil in Conventional, Certified Organic, and Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) formats, giving ingredient buyers the sourcing flexibility to meet both quality and sustainability commitments at scale.

The FDA has identified avocado oil as one of the most frequent targets for economically motivated adulteration, a practice where a premium ingredient is quietly diluted or swapped out for something cheaper. Despite that warning, the industry's track record speaks for itself. What was once a reputational risk has become a legal one. Following the 2020 and 2023 UC Davis studies, multiple class action lawsuits were filed against brands whose products failed purity testing, putting the entire category on notice. The 2026 findings raise the stakes even further. For brands in this space, the question is no longer whether consumers will notice. It's whether their R&D and procurement teams have done enough to protect them when they do. Purity verification is no longer optional; it is the difference between brand equity and brand liability.

For brands carrying a "100% Avocado Oil" or "Made with Avocado Oil" claim, the 2026 UC Davis findings are a supply chain audit in plain sight. They give procurement teams one clear mandate: know exactly what is in your oil, and who can prove it.

To read the full 2026 UC Davis Study, visit: https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/avocado-oil-chip-youre-eating-may-not-be-made-pure-avocado-oil. For a full list of the 2026 UC Davis Study chips, mayonnaise and salad dressing brands tested and their results, visit: https://ucdavis.app.box.com/s/6ogs4l0ogplunooktwryr5b1m6k2xr9u.

ABOUT ADAMS GROUP

Adams Group is a fifth-generation, family-owned food company with over 100 years of agricultural heritage, operating one of the most integrated specialty oils, grains, and seeds businesses in North America. The company's state-of-the-art refinery and laboratory in Arbuckle, California processes avocado for ingredient customers across the food, beverage, and personal care industries. Adams Group supplies avocado oil in Conventional, Certified Organic, and Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) formats, each meeting CODEX international purity standards, with full lot traceability from crude intake through finished ingredient delivery. For more information, visit https://adamsgrp.com or LinkedIn.

SOURCE Adams Group Inc