When is olive oil not really olive oil? One man is claiming that the Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain Cava, a.k.a Cava Grill, is being sneaky when it comes to the purity of its product.
In a video posted to the Santa Cruz Medicinals Instagram account (@santacruzmedicinals), company co-founder Brendan Ruh confronts a Cava worker about the actual make-up of the olive oil the chain uses in its bowls and pita wraps.
The video has 8,645 likes on Instagram as of this writing.
According to Cava’s website, the company uses a Greek olive oil, locally sourced from “Stavros Manolakos, an olive oil sommelier and olive oil supplier.” However, Ruh’s interaction with the Cava worker reveals it’s not only olives in the mix.
Ruh addresses his audience outside the restaurant and states, “Their stock has been rising lately. Is this the Chipotle killer?” Inside, he quizzes the employees about what type of oil the company uses.
The worker lets Ruh handle a can of the oil used by the company. He turns the can toward the camera and reveals the ingredients: sunflower oil followed by extra virgin olive oil.
“Got ’em,” Ruh whispers to the camera.
Ruh, who is also the co-founder of Santa Cruz Paleo, as well as a Sales Manager and Brand Procurement Specialist for California-based cannabis distribution firm Yerba Buena Logistics, has posted several videos addressing the perceived harm of seed oils to his Instagram account.
However, Ruh states in his Cava video, “I’m not afraid of seed oils. I’m not somebody who thinks if you eat them sometimes, ‘Oh, something bad is going to happen!’ I just try to minimize my exposure to heavily processed food.”
“And guess what, guys? They’re [Cava] scamming you, ” he claims, again, showing the ingredients on the can’s label.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Cava via email for a statement.
Why are people concerned about seed oils?
Seed oils have been a subject of controversy on health and wellness-related social media. According to Consumer Reports (CR), “Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok are full of posts and memes claiming that canola (rapeseed), corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, safflower, soy, and sunflower oils are toxic.”
However, the magazine also found that many concerns regarding the oils were overblown. Guy Crosby, Ph.D., an adjunct associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told CR, “If you cut back on these foods, chances are you’re going to feel better,” but notes that this is likely due to the fact that you will be eating less processed foods in general by doing so.
Sunflower oil or not, Ruh did order and eat a braised lamb bowl at the restaurant and was pleased with the meal.
“It’s still fire food. Was honestly very tasty with a solid protein portion,” he wrote in the video’s caption. However, he states to his viewers, “I just don’t like the deceptive marketing.”
“You should use olive oil. It’s not that hard to do. You’re almost there, bro,” he concludes.
Despite Ruh’s assurances about seed oil, some viewers were put off by his revelation.
“Holy sh*t. I eat Cava all the time; throwing it out right now,” jessicaxgolich wrote.
“That’s so sad :/ I am also not like deathly afraid of seed oils and agree with you but they are so close to it being perfect but at least It’s a blend,” kamileezerskyte added.
Another viewer, i.d.k_l.o.l_, seemed fine with the information, writing, “Eating out while eating seed oils isn’t that bad for you unless they use too much oil or deep fried.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ruh via email and TikTok direct message for further comment.
Update 8:24am CT, July 16: In an email to the Daily Dot, a Cava representative shared the following statement:
“All our oil is sourced from Greece and is pressed and processed without the use of chemicals. We utilize pressed sunflower oil blended with our extra virgin olive oil in many of our recipes for operational viability and consistency related to cold holding and cook preparation. The neutral taste of our sunflower oil allows the flavors of our olive oil to shine through.”
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