what plant does canola oil come from, and is the oil healthy?
Canola derives from the rapeseed plant ' hence the controversy because rapeseed produces toxic oil with a high level of a dangerous fatty acid. The latter is an industrial oil and is poisonous to living things; apparently even insects won't eat it. As the original crop grown in Canada was too toxic for consumption, the rapeseed plant was hybridised to produce crops with lower acid levels and a better nutritional profile. The name 'canola' (Canadian oil, low acid) was created to reflect this; it is also more marketing-friendly. Today it is grown extensively in Canada and the USA and is largely genetically modified.