A 2010 study by the University of California, specifically UC Davis, about the quality and integrity of popular olive oil brands has devolved into discussions and legal battles that do not seem to stop.

Over the last five years, consumers, olive oil producers, grocers, regulators, and even researchers have voiced their concerns about the ramifications of this study.

From a consumer point of view, the report is certainly alarming since it revealed that 69 percent of imported olive oil labeled as extra virgin is of lesser purity and should not be labeled as such.

Moreover, 79 percent of olive oils in the study were found to be questionable insofar as their formulation and production ethics.

Some of the top brands from Italy, the nation considered to be the spiritual home of olive oil production, were not only found to be of low quality; in some cases they barely contained any oil extracted from olives.

In other words, many Italian olive oils sitting on grocery store shelves across the United States could be fake. The UC Davis study has been questioned not only due to its methodology but also because of its funding by the California Olive Oil Council.

The study determined that olive oils from California were of the highest quality. A California university being funded by state farming organizations is nothing new, but in this particular case it has managed to create substantial controversy.