As more Israelis choose pure olive oil, counterfeiters see an opportunity

(JTA) — In a supermarket here, Ohad David made a beeline for the most expensive olive oil in the store.

He took three bottles of the award-winning Midnight Coratina brand, which goes for about $3 per ounce. It has “medium potency, green fruitiness and a green-leaf, grassy bouquet,” according to its description on the website of Ptora, the boutique olive oil factory that makes it.

But David, a 40-year-old insurance agent and father of five, did not buy the oil for its taste.

Like thousands of Orthodox Jewish consumers who buy premium olive oil ahead of Chanukah, David purchased $160 of the stuf...