Is Costco’s Coconut Oil Junk? Or the Real Deal?
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Costco is a great place to shop for so many things. Sure, it offers a lot of not so healthy food as well, but they have a great line of organic offerings, so you and your family can truly save money on whole foods.
But are their products really high quality?
Costco says that they are and their reputation is that they have exceptional quality control.
Recently, however, another healthy living site made the claim that they were selling substandard coconut oil. I was pretty shocked about the claim and decided to dig into it.
We use coconut oil for everything – from homemade moisturizer to gluten-free baking to homemade popcorn, so we go through a ton of it.
I saw Costco’s coconut oil offering and wondered myself–“Could this really be high-quality coconut oil at this price?” So I bought some about 4 months ago and put them on my shelf.
Many have been thrilled about being able to purchase a great wholesome fat like coconut oil at Costco for a great price.
But not everyone is happy about it.
I honestly was almost in tears this past week seeing what can happen when due diligence isn’t done, accusations are made carelessly, and apologies aren’t made.
If you don’t know what I am talking about, read on.
I worked on this post for quite awhile to make sure I had the whole story covered and covered well. There is a lot of misinformation to clear up, and it’s going to take awhile, so please hang with me for another “longish” post :).
This past week, a post called “Why Buying Coconut Oil at Costco is Risky Business” came out on a very popular healthy living blog, The Healthy Home Economist.
In a nutshell, one person contacted the owner of that blog, Sarah Pope, on her Facebook page, and told her that she had purchased Carrington Farms’ Coconut Oil from Costco. She stated:
“I just opened and began using a big container of coconut oil (got it at Costco) that I’ve had for maybe 3 months and it has sat on my pantry shelf (outside in my garage, I live in Texas so it’s gotten hotter than 100 degrees). It smells like burned marshmallows, or maybe the inside of a pumpkin on Halloween. Since I can’t find any web sites that describe the smell (other than “yucky” and “very, very bad”) for rancid coconut oil, could you please help me out? I can’t stand to put it on my face….but can I still cook with it?”
First of all, Sarah’s advice to her reader that she not use coconut oil was good advice.
But that is where the good advice stopped.
Sarah then went on to vilify Carrington Farms and Costco and to cast aspersions on almost the entire US Coconut Oil market.
Here’s what went down and how it went wrong:
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Accusations Against Carrington Farms
Accusation #1: Costco’s oil spoiled because there was something wrong with the oil
Sarah assumed, without doing any research, that the Costco customer’s oil was “bad” due to either poor quality, poor filtration, or the oil is just plain “old.” To quote her:
It’s anybody’s guess, but one thing is for sure. It was not fresh, high quality Grade A coconut oil. Cheaply priced coconut oil at a discount store is going to get you exactly that: cheap oil that is likely old, improperly filtered (manufacturer’s defect) and not the best choice for your health.
Response: Needs more evidence
After reading this post, I thought that I would contact Carrington Farms myself to learn more details about the situation.
I talked to one of Carrington Farms’ Vice Presidents, and she said that they haven’t had any other recent complaints about their coconut oil being bad and that they never got any information from Mary M. about their oil– no lot number and no expiration date. Nothing.
So while she admitted that there is a slim possibility that there was something wrong with the oil, she said that it is much more likely that the oil was opened and something foreign got in there to cause the problem.
For example, perhaps Mary had opened the container, used a spoon to get some coconut oil out, and the spoon had something on it. Or some such “user error.”
However, there really is no way for them, or for us, to know anything because all we have is Mary M’s message and Sarah’s response.
UPDATE (7/3/13): A few readers have mentioned that it was likely the fact that Mary stored the coconut oil in her hot garage that led to it spoiling. I don’t know. Of course, the label says to store in a cool dry place, but I have read in numerous places that people have stored their coconut oil in a hot place with no problem. Furthermore, Sarah mentioned in her post:
I have never had it go off, even when kept for a year or two in my garage where the temperature easily reaches a 110-120F on humid August afternoons.
so I decided not to blame the smell issue on the hot garage.
2. Accusation #2: Costco sells inferior or old food products
To quote Sarah:
the big box wholesalers like Costco have been faced with a dilemma – how best to capitalize on the coconut oil frenzy while keeping the price dirt cheap. I’ll admit that I’ve been suspicious of the big box wholesaler brands of coconut oil for quite awhile. The price just didn’t jive with the price I knew to be necessary to ensure a quality, pure product.
Response: Costco carries quality food products – Carrington’s oil is one of them
I’ve been a Costco member for many years, and mostly we’ve been thrilled with their quality. And I’m not easy to please about some things (maybe you can guess that as you read my posts and see the lengths I go to at times to make sure I am getting a good product). In fact, I’ve had to return some things to them and they aren’t always happy about that. But that is too bad–they claim to have high quality and consumers should hold them to that.
But I have never ever thought that they intentionally partnered with companies that sold junk. There are, of course, companies that sell bulk name brand clothing to stores like Costco that are lower quality so they can sell them inexpensively, but to my knowledge, there are no “lower quality foods” being sold to Costco.
I think Costco has some things to learn about getting and keeping more and more whole food products in their stores (I am petitioning them every time I go to get the Coleman Natural Hot Dogs back. So if you are a member, drop that message in their suggestion box for me too, OK – “Get Coleman Hot Dogs year round :)!” Thank you!!)
Anyway, about Carrington Farms’ super reasonable coconut oil at Costco . . .
What Carrington’s VP said to me is that the low price of their oil at Costco is simply a matter of the economy of scale.
Carrington sells coconut oil in 12 oz and 54 ounce sizes. The 54 ounce size is what Costco carries.
They sell their 54 ounce for $24.99 on Amazon and for $15.99 at Costco. And they also have their own website.
That $15.99 is a real steal, but here is the deal.
It takes the same amount of work for Carrington to sell 1 container of coconut oil off their website as it does to sell 20,000 jars to Costco.
They have to take an order, pack it up, and ship it.
I know how this works. I sell products on my Natural Store page. The main products I sell are zeolite and soap nuts.
I sell one bottle of zeolite for $15.25 and 12 for $100 (instead of $183 at the “per bottle” price). I sell 1 ounce of soap nuts for $2.50 and four pounds for $52.30 (instead of $160 at the “per ounce” price).
So even though the size of the coconut oil at Costco is the same as the one on Amazon, they sell so many more at Costco that they can offer the coconut oil at a better price.
Carrington’s VP said that they sell many full truckloads to Costco weekly–versus 1 case each week at a regular grocery store.
It’s the same oil…..just the economy of scale working for Costco members.
PLUS – My Carrington Farms oil (that I bought about 4 months ago) has an expiration date clearly marked on the label – 2/20/15. That is NOT old oil. And besides, it will likely last long beyond that date. Coconut oil is known for its stability.
3. Accusation #3: Carrington Farm’s Coconut Oil is not pure.
Sarah said that “Inexpensive Coconut Oil is Likely Poor Quality” and then went on to list the following possibilities reasons why coconut oil might be of poor quality, insinuating that Carrington Farms Coconut Oil is either
- possibly not 100% coconut oil
- improperly filtered
- old
All it took was one phone call to Carrington Farms to straighten this out, and that is what I did. I talked with one of their Vice Presidents who spent a lot of time on the phone with me going over their quality control. And believe me, they are on top of their coconut oil’s quality.
Response: Facts about Carrington Farms’ coconut oil
1. Carrington Farms coconut oil is unrefined and no chemicals are used in the processing of the oil.
2. The coconuts are grown on certified organic farms in the Philippines.
3. Representatives from Carrington have visited the farms to ensure the quality of the growing process and a partner in the company visits to ensure that their representatives are doing everything they can to guarantee that everything is as they say it is.
4. The coconuts are grown on several farms to avoid problems of “single site sourcing”–should there be a natural disaster in one farm, they can still get coconuts.
5. The coconuts are processed within 4 days of being picked.
6. The coconut oil is filtered twice before being moved to a bottling facility, and then it is filtered again.
7. Carrington Farms does third party GC/MS testing on each lot of their oil. If any other vegetable oil was cut into the coconut oil, it would show up on these tests.
8. The oil is tested for microbes, e-coli, salmonella and more.
9. Their containers are BPA-free.
10. Their coconut oil is unrefined, unbleached, and is not deodorized, and their processing is hexane and heat free. I think you can see that they care about quality.
Just because a product is one you haven’t heard of, doesn’t mean it is junk. I too wondered about Carrington Farms Coconut Oil when I saw it at Costco. I bought some and I am very happy with them.
4. Accusation #4: Carrington Farms is involved in fraudulent marketing because they label their coconut oil as being “Extra Virgin”
To quote Sarah,
There is no such thing as “extra virgin coconut oil”. It is either refined coconut oil or virgin coconut oil. A friend of mine who is the owner of a company that is a quality purveyor of virgin coconut oil had this to say: “… any product that uses the term ‘extra virgin’ and it does not pertain to olive oil is using the term outside its definition… Trying to market something that does not exist.”
Response: The truth about “Extra Virgin Coconut Oil”
Well, to be fair, Sarah is right–there is no such thing as Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
But what Sarah should have checked before sharing this post is that the coconut oil that she recommends to her readers has been marketed as “Extra Virgin” too.
In her post, she said, “the only way to ensure a quality product is to buy from a quality small business.” Interestingly, the words “buy from a quality small business” are linked to Village Green Network (the blogging network which Sarah is a big part of)’s affiliate portal where you can then click to see what coconut oil (and other products) they recommend.
The problem is that the coconut oil they recommend (Radiant Life) was also marketing itself as being “Extra Virgin”. In addition, when you can click around and check out their recommended products, VGN members don’t just get paid when you purchase, they get paid per click, so getting click-happy on their Resources page puts a lot of money in their pockets.)
I digress.
Some of Sarah’s readers called her on this “Extra Virgin” conundrum. Then Sarah said that she had contacted Radiant Life about it and they were changing their marketing. I don’t have anything against Radiant Life, but it is again, poorly researched.
In fact, here is a screenshot I pulled off the internet when I found out about this story, just so you could see that Radiant Life has been, and still is, marketing their oil as being “Extra Virgin.”
If you type in “Radiant Life Coconut Oil” into Google, up comes this description of their coconut oil. This description is set by Radiant Life when they set up their product for Google: And here is an entry on Radiant Life’s blog about making your own “Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Lotion“
(Update: In case Radiant Life changes their post, here is a screenshot of the top part of the post):
What Carrington Farms’ VP told me is that, while there is no “Extra Virgin” designation for coconut oil, when they started marketing their oil, almost all of the other coconut oil companies in the US were marketing their oil as being “Extra Virgin,” and so they thought it would be both confusing to the customer, plus it would put their coconut oil in a negative light if they only labeled their oil as “Virgin.”
Click on these links to see that a bunch of companies also market their coconut oil as being “Extra Virgin”:
1. Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
2. Nutiva ( Update 5/16: apparently they have changed their labeling)
3. Nature’s Way
4. Barlean’s
5. Jarrow
6. Source Naturals (these are capsules, but they are called “Extra Virgin”)
7. Vitacost
9. Artisana
This list represents a mix between companies known for being inexpensive and those know for high quality.
But the point is that they all use the term “extra virgin” to describe their coconut oil. In fact, I think one is more hard-pressed to find a company that doesn’t refer to its coconut oil as being “extra virgin” than one that does.
And Carrington’s VP told me that they sell the exact same coconut oil in Canada as “Virgin Coconut Oil” because Canada has laws about coconut oil labeling that the US doesn’t have.
Now, let me be clear. I could have just kept silent on this.
Sarah has a big blog and a lot of influence in the whole foodie blog world. It’s not really advisable to write something negative about someone that big. And truth is, she has a ton of great information on her site.
Also, I’m sure Carrington isn’t the absolute best coconut oil on the market, but I don’t think it deserved what happened here.
Lessons to Be Learned
Just like Sarah wrote about the lessons she thinks should be learned about what type of coconut oil to buy, and where to buy it, I’m adding my own set of lessons to be learned here:
1. Don’t go on just one person’s word when accusing a company, or someone, of wrongdoing.
Sarah wrote that ” evidence is now emerging that my suspicions [that big box wholesaler brands of coconut oil are junk] have been justified.”
One person’s comment without sufficient details (such as lot number, expiration date, whether the container was opened previously or not) is not evidence. It is just conjecture until the facts are checked out.
And just to put this out there, there are plenty of folks who just do mean things to hurt others. I am not saying that Mary’s or Sarah’s intentions are such, but there are people who spread lies in order to hurt others and build themselves up, so we need to be really really careful when putting out negative claims about a person or company.
2. Do due diligence before making a sweeping accusation. Sarah should have called Carrington to find out their side of the story before publishing something so damaging to their reputation.
3. Say you’re sorry when you are wrong.
What You Can Do to Help
I think that Carrington Farms has really been through the ringer unfairly on this one. I am sure that their sales are hurting and that is just not right. I have a jug of their coconut oil right here and I will say it smells and tastes wonderful.
1. Go to Costco and buy some Carrington Farms Coconut Oil.
2. Go to Amazon and buy some Carrington Farms Coconut Oil.
3. Subscribe to my blog. I go to great lengths to make sure that I am doing good, solid research on everything that I share with you. It takes time and I am super busy. But I will not try to get you to read my blog by posting stuff that’s unnecessarily sensationalist. It would mean a lot to have your vote of confidence by having you as a subscriber to my blog updates. And besides–you wouldn’t want to miss anything, would you :)?
4. Share this post (see sharing buttons below) with others so they can find out that Carrington Farms is a decent company with high-quality products.
Finally – what about buying local and from small businesses?
That’s really a whole other topic. I love supporting small businesses. But frankly, I can’t do it all the time.
I can’t do anything all the time–Blog, be a great homeschool mom, keep a clean house, recycle, get the best bargains, be a kind and loving wife. I need to work on all of those things.
Some more than others.
But right now, I buy local when I can. (I just got a flat of organic strawberries from a local farm and I buy eggs from a friend at church.
As for coconut oil? I’m sticking with Carrington, and Nutiva for now. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other great companies. But a gal can only do so much research at once–and right now I am off to find a new brand of stevia :).
For more “controversial topics”, check out:
1. Is There Engine Fuel on Your Almonds? – A must-read.
2. Which Essential Oils Company is Best? – you will see here that I did a TON of research into oils and oil companies. And I was very clear about my limitations and why I made the conclusions that I made. And if I ever find something negative out about the company that I recommended, I will pull my recommendation. Plain and simple.
3. Katy Perry and Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar–Is She Watering It Down for a Profit?
Please leave questions or comments below. But please be respectful. Thank you.
I purchased Carrington Farms Coconut Oil from Costco months ago and I have been very satisfied with it. I liked the price, the quality, and the quantity. I use it for cooking, too deep condition my hair, and on my skin. As a matter of fact I am disappointed that I haven’t seen Carrington Farms Coconut Oil at the Costco in Baton Rouge, Louisiana since I purchased mine about 8 months ago and I’m really hoping that it is brought back to this store.
I too am disappointed. It was removed from our store awhile ago and hasn’t been back. I keep requesting it :).
Good lord this is lengthy! However your desire to voice all aspects is appreciated. The REASON your article came up on my pinterest page was . . Coconut Oil/Costco. We have been purchasing Coconut Oil at Costco for well over a year, We began with Nutiva but we are currently using the twin pack via Kirkland ALSO a Costco Product. It pays to know WHAT you are purchasing and the differences between Refined/Unrefined, Organic Virgin vs. GMO, Cold pressed vs. Expeller pressed. The real beef isn’t even WITH Costco. Our Costco sells more than one brand of Coconut Oil, (which are all good in their own category) There is no ‘Grade A’. There is YOUR preference and yes, that requires research and homework of an informed consumer. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all took a little more responsibility for our own choices or at the very least directed our frustrations towards the actual party in a position to resolve things for us? Thanks for the heads up. I’m sure this will all take hold like wildfire . . things certainly seem to.
Thanks for reading the lengthy stuff 🙂 and for commenting. Take care and hope to see you around again. I so wish Carrington were back in our Costco :).
Thanks for doing your research on this! I get so frustrated when posts circulate that don’t give the full picture. Too many people are wording their opinions as fact online. As a fellow blogger, I know how much time you must have put into this. Thank you again. I do want to add that I was looking for the date as well to see how current this information is. Anytime I am reading about a product, I like to know I have the most current information.
Hi there. It was published in 7/13. I am on the fence about dates on posts. I had a bunch of folks seeing older dates on some posts and then asking me if the info was still valid. Now this comment (your type) happens occasionally. I guess the comment dates would show when the post was published? I guess either way it’s an issue of some sort. Thanks for sharing and for your kind words!
Thank you for this thorough piece! And I live in Issaquah, WA so Costco is local. And as much as I get the whole sustainable, buy local movement, I am thrilled at the success of my home-town companies. They were all small businesses once. Were they supposed to stop growing when they had opportunities to expand? I know, a whole ‘nother topic for another day!
You are totally correct :)!
Sorry I’m a little late to this party! I personally love coconut oil and have been a fan for over a year. When I saw the Carrington Farms brand at Costco, I admit I was a little leery because it was so inexpensive (which is NOT the same as being cheap!). I decided to try it. I had just had a bad experience with jars from the local grocery store having a very unpleasant smell, so I was prepared for the worst. To my delight and surprise, it had a very pleasant odor (it smells of fresh coconut, as it should, not something processed or burned), and it was very consistent in texture. It was very smooth on the tongue and absent of any graininess, which can occur.
Once that jar was gone, I went back and stocked up. The next two jars were bad or off, in my opinion. The smell was different, as were the taste and texture. Did I feel that the product was inferior?? No. I feel like it was a bad batch. It happens. Maybe the coconuts used had an issue. Maybe a contaminant was somehow introduced. Who knows? The solution? I simply returned the jars and got different ones. The new jars were fine, lending credence to my hypothesis of a bad batch. Short story long – the product rocks!!!
I so wish they had it in my store still. I put in another request today for it — and for the hotdogs :).
Adrienne,
Thanks so much for taking the time to put together this thorough blog about this topic. Right now I’m researching various options about which coconut oil to use for my sweetpotato slice product that I’m developing and this was very helpful. The Kirkland brand organic coconut oil at Costco is cheaper than other organics even when purchased in bulk 5 gallon size (currently I buy two 42 oz containers for 24.99 at Costco…$0.29/oz.) So I was skeptical about the quality but I’ve never had any problem with it before and your blog is reassuring towards that end. Keep up the great blogging! Thanks again!
Thanks and hope to see you around again! So you are going to be selling sweet potato slices??
I also brought a jar of Carrington coconut oil from Costco Canada. It smell and tasted like coconuts and white in color. it real coconut oil. I had no issue with Carrington coconut oil. Only isssued is they use plastic containers, and if you put plastic containers in the heat for long period of time it will change the chemicals in the coconut oil or any oils for that matter.
Thanks for sharing. Love Carrington and Canada :).
I am so glad you wrote this about Carrington Farms Coconut Oil. I read Sarah’s blog yesterday and got pretty angry about it. She kept referring to it as “Costco’s coconut oil” which it is not. And I was stunned that she didn’t research it. She jumped on the Mary bandwagon even though very little information was given. AND, since the jar says “store in cool, dry place,” if it did go bad as a result of being kept in a blazing hot garage, whose fault is that?
Slamming Carrington Farms AND Costco (an excellent company that is known for the CEO’s outlook on how to treat employees) because Costco is able to sell this (and other) products at amazingly reduced prices stunned me as well. OF COURSE this is a result of the massive quantities that Costco buys and sells. IT JUST MAKES SENSE! I buy Bully Sticks for my dog at Costco because they are WAY cheaper than the best sale prices I can find online.
I have no idea how long Costco sold their Coconut Oil. I never looked for it and just discovered it last year. I was SO excited! I knew the brand and knew their quality. And when I first tasted it I was IN LOVE! It was, by far, the best tasting coconut oil I ever had. (And it gets really good reviews online…..another chance Sarah missed for possible research.) Thankfully after reading that blog I read many of the comments her followers posted and most of them were NOT happy with that blog. They were surprised that it was written the way it was. That really told me that she completely missed the mark. People said that they had been following her, and liking her posts, for a long time and felt she had gone over the top on this one.
Unfortunately, the last time I was at Costco (2-3 weeks ago) to buy coconut oil (I use it for EVERYTHING…even .give 4-6 Tablespoons a day to my dog….and I buy 2 jars at a time because I go through one in approximately 3 weeks!) I was extremely disappointed to find that they no longer had Carrington Farms. They now had KIRKLAND Coconut Oil in 40-some ounce jars sold in two-packs. The Carrington Farms Coconut Oil sold so well that they decided to have their own made. Also unfortunately. I do not like it anywhere near as well as I like Carrington Farms. It has a bit of a funny (smokey?) taste. So I am now looking to buy 54-ounce jars of Carrington Farms online.
HI – thanks so much for taking the time to write. I LOVE Carrington too and am so sad my Costco doesn’t carry it anymore. I would suggest putting it in the suggestion box. I had been doing it but need to do it again. I don’t really care for the Kirkland Brand near as much either. Hope to see you around again!
Great article, Adrienne! Thank you for taking your time to conduct proper research on the topic. My family buys great amount of organic food from Costco, and we are regular user of Carrington Farms Coconut Oil., we never had any issue with it. Accusation about you are not supporting local business is a wrongful and unnecessary accusation. First of all, local product is not available all year long, so we have to rely on the national distributors from time to time. Second, in the 21 century, grass root sustainable living is impossible with our busy life schedule, no matter how much we care about our environment. Buying local is a great movement, however supporting a national brand is not a bad thing either, if such brand conduct business practice responsibly. Third, it all comes down to business ethic of company regardless local business or national brands. Therefore, one’s integrity should not be simply judged base on buy local or not. Adrienne you have no need to answer to those irresponsible accusations. Keep up all the great works.
Thanks for the very kind words and the insightful response. Take care and hope to see you around again.
thank you for the great info and research you’ve done on the Carrington Farms Coconut Oil. I had also bought a large jar at Costco, but unsure about the quality, etc. I’ve been very pleased and no complaints. I use it mixed in my lotions, makeup remover, etc. but also use it in cooking. Even tho I had no complaints, I had no idea if it was the quality I was looking for. I do take precaution to not contaminate the oil by using smaller clean jars and spoons when using for personal care and cooking. I store it in a kitchen cabinet with no problems. You certainly did your homework above and beyond in my opinion. Thank you again,
You are so welcome! I just wish they still had it in my Costco!
Thank you so much for all your hours you put into research. The Internet can be so confusing when trying to find the authencity of a product. I trust your information. And I can say that because I do my research too, so I have some knowledge….a little at least. Thank you for giving me another resource in which to check my facts against. I had always wondered about the super price for coconut oil at Costco . I have been using coconut oil for years — for absolutely everything—- and yes I go through a lot. Picking up a jar at the grocery store each week for 10.00 was heavy on the grocery bill!!!! I have purchased Carrington’s coconut oil many times. The quality is great and I’ve never had any issues. My only negative would be is that it’s in a plastic container. Maybe they will rectify that in the future or maybe that will make the cost rise. We need to go back to the days where return glass for money!! 🙂
You are so welcome. I will say that I work w/ Miessence company and they did research that apparently resulted in them thinking that plastic was more sustainable than glass. I can’t find the data now and would personally think glass would be better, but I don’t know for sure now. Take care and you are fortunate to have the Carrington in your store!
I must add that at my Cosco, they don’t carry Carrington’s Coconut oil, they have their very own Kirkland brand and I don’t like it one bit.
Hi again – I’m guessing you added this since you didn’t see your other comment approved yet Sorry — I monitor all comments. I don’t really care for it either. I have to figure out what I am doing as well. Thanks and take care!
I’ve been buying and using Nutiva coconut oil from Cosco for quite awhile, We use 1 a month. Well about 4 months ago, much to my dismay they have kirkland brand. I love coscos price on coconut oil so I tried the new stuff. The first time I tried it, there was a wierd texture, kinda like vaseline, with the Nutiva I could eat it right out of the bottle, this new stuff had a bad feel that made me gag.. I exchanged the oil and the second batch wasn’t so bad,so I decided to use it, still couldn’t eat it straight though. Today I purchased some more and when I got it home noticed that the bottom of both jars were yellow, which means it is poor quality. Anyway keep an eye on this stuff and I will be buying mine from Amazon from now on.
I don’t care for it either. Tastes a little “off” but I have noticed that with another brand of oil that is supposed to be high quality.
Thank you for doing the legwork on this! I’ve been hemming and hawing about whether or not to buy this at Costco… it seems the best thing to do is to just purchase some and experience it firsthand. If it doesn’t seem right, I can always return it to the store for a refund. A side note: Nutiva has changed all their labels to say “virgin” instead of “extra virgin.” Some customers, posting in the comment section on the Nutiva site, went completely (expletive removed by blog owner) about it. As they say, “perception is everything”….
Thanks so much for sharing this, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the oil – it’s really my favorite and I can’t get it at my store any more :(.
Thanks for the thorough post. I just recently saw the afore mentioned coconut oil at my Costco here in New Mexico and was wondering about it. I will be sure now to pick some up this weekend when I go shopping!
I’m envious – they don’t have it in my store. I so wish I could get it!!! Thanks for the kind words.
Thank you so much for writing this post! It is refreshing to see someone brave enough to call out a poorly researched post, and to actually do the research to get to the truth. I just discovered Carrington Farms on Amazon, and was hesitant to order it, but now feel confident in giving it a try. Thanks so much!
Thank you! I am sure you will love it!
I have bought 3 Carrington CO and miss it…The new one Nutiva, is smaller, much more expensive and not as good IMO.
I love the Carrington brand and never had any problem with it. Like with anything else, you can get a lemon. If I’m not happy with something from Costco, I bring it back, end of story….Why does everything have to be a big deal?
I prefer Carrington myself, but I do think Nutiva is pretty nice. You’re completely right about just returning it…..but if I left it in my garage in TX I probably wouldn’t have done that even. Take care!
I am a regular user of coconut oil and have been buying it from Costco in Watford England for a little while. I am very surprised that the container does not say whether or not the product is GMO free! My friends who know about such matters say that if a product is labelled GMO free then it probably is GMO free. But if the label does not say GMO free then it almost certainly is not GMO free. Obviously its because discerning purchasers like I am generally don’t eat GMO products, they are just not natural and therefore subject to suspicion.
I would appreciate a reassurance as to whether or not Costco’s Carrington Farms coconut oil is GMO free. If it is not, then I will purchase another brand which is GMO free, even if it is a lot more expensive.
Hi there. I got this response back from the company:
I hope this helps.
The information I gained through my own research echoes the company’s: there are no GMO coconuts. Coconut palms aren’t even routinely sprayed with pesticide, because they are naturally disease- and pest-resistant (though note, not disease- and pest- *proof*). While coconut oil may “in fact” be “organic,” this designation has also been used by retailers of other organic products to justify giant markups on these items. In “coconut world,” however, there isn’t a justifiable foundation for these giant markups simply based on its “organic” designation.
Great – thanks for the information!!!
Thank You for all the info. I have just used my first container of Carrington’s Coconut Oil and was very happy with it, I am a new user of any coconut oil. I purchased my Carrington’s at Walmart, it seemed very fresh and had a good taste. I may now buy a bigger container at Costco.
I hope you can find it! They stopped carrying it at my local store. 🙁
Thank you so much for putting some “sensible light” on the Sarah post. I live in southern UK and Costco’s warehouse in my area was opened just under 18 months ago. I can honestly say that apart from their fresh fruits, every other food I have tried both fresh and frozen puts our supermarket equivalents to absolute shame, when one takes into account the smell, taste and texture. I only came across the offending coconut oil article a few days ago when I was doing some product comparisons. Since then I have had this constantly on my mind and telling others. Wanted to write a post but been to busy to do so until now and so glad to see that you have had time to do the research and produce and open minded post. My stress levels are now back to normal! As a final comment and someone who has years of experience in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and natural foods, there is something in my opinion that people need to get and that is the more purified and natural a foods becomes the less natural and health giving it is. White flour and sugar are perfect examples of this. Also just because an oil can remain stable at higher temperatures for short periods, for example whilst cooking, common sense in my view would tell me that any truly natural product would degrade. Especially when left in the sort of temperatures talked about, after all the Carringtons container does state to “store in a cool dry place”. To many people on this planet do not accept responsibility for their actions and then complain. This causes all sorts problems as a result of the many others who take what they see, read and listen to quite literally without checking the facts. Thank you again for your efforts and a great post. I look forward to my 2 gently fried, free range eggs in coconut oil and wholemeal toast tomorrow morning; all purchased from Costco, yummy!
Thanks for the kind words and hello to you across the ocean :). My father is from Ireland – haven’t been to that area of the globe in a long time but maybe sometime. Your breakfast sounds fabulous!