“Dark glass” is one of the biggest olive oil myths. UV light is harmful to olive oil, not the visible spectrum. As an example of this, your car’s windshield is perfectly clear yet blocks UV light (which is why dashboards no longer fade and crack).
Though there are some studies that show dark glass is slightly better than clear glass over time, it is still not protecting the olive oil from UV light. Without a doubt, a clear bottle with a large label will significantly outlast a dark bottle with a small label (or screen printing). In any case, olive oil bottles should be kept in the dark, and that goes for both dark and clear glass (as noted on our bottles).
My grandfather always said, “dark glass is a good way to hide bad oil”. Our team is trained to determine if a bottle has been on the shelf too long just by looking at it. Over time the intensity of the color of the olive oil will fade. Clear glass allows us to better rotate stock out to ensure fresh olive oil on the grocery shelf. With a dark bottle, that’s not possible.
Of course, the absolute BEST solution is our bag-in-box which blocks 100% of the light and oxygen ;)
Two primary factors negatively impact olive oil: UV light and oxidation. The Bag-In-Box (BiB) effectively shields it from both. Utilizing the same technology as wine bag-in-box systems, the BiB extends shelf life, maintains quality, ensures reliable dispensing, and upholds environmental consciousness.