If you've ever wondered why "canola oil" sounds vaguely scientific rather than agricultural, that's entirely intentional. Canola oil is rapeseed oil—same plant, same product, different name. The rebrand happened in the 1970s when Canadian scientists developed a new variety of rapeseed with lower erucic acid, making it safer for human consumption.

But even after creating this improved version, marketers faced a problem: nobody wanted to cook with something called "rape." The name comes from the Latin "rapum" (turnip), since rapeseed is part of the Brassicaceae family alongside turnips, cabbage, and mustard. Etymology doesn't sell bottles, though.

The Birth of "Canola"

Enter the portmanteau. Canadian oil industry representatives combined "Canada" and "ola" (meaning oil) to create "canola" in 1978. It was registered as a trademark by the Western Canadian Oilseed Crushers Association, though it later became a generic term.

The name specifically refers to rapeseed varieties containing less than 2% erucic acid and less than 30 micromoles of glucosinolates per gram. Regular rapeseed had higher levels of both, which raised health concerns. So "canola" isn't just marketing fluff—it technically designates a safer cultivar.

Why the Original Name Was a Problem

Beyond the obvious awkwardness, "rapeseed oil" had another issue: it was primarily known as an industrial lubricant. During World War II, rapeseed oil was prized for its ability to stick to wet metal surfaces, making it ideal for marine engines. Convincing consumers to drizzle engine lubricant on their salads was always going to be an uphill battle.

The canola rebrand worked spectacularly. Today it's one of the most popular cooking oils worldwide, praised for its:

High smoke point (good for frying)
Neutral flavor (doesn't overpower dishes)
Favorable omega-3 to omega-6 ratio
Lower saturated fat compared to many alternatives

The Rapeseed Plant Lives On

Walk through European or Canadian farmland in spring, and you'll see endless fields of bright yellow flowers—that's rapeseed. It's still called rapeseed everywhere except grocery store oil aisles. Farmers grow it, scientists study it, but when it hits the bottle, it becomes canola.

Interestingly, rapeseed meal (the crushed seeds after oil extraction) is still called rapeseed meal in animal feed. Cows apparently don't care about branding.

The takeaway? Sometimes a name change is purely superficial. Other times, like with canola, it marks a genuine agricultural improvement wrapped in savvy marketing. Either way, that bottle in your pantry is proof that even plants need good PR.

Related Tags