by Chad Jipeeti

Rapeseed is a bright-yellow flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seeds. The name “rapeseed” comes from the Latin word rapum which means turnip. It is commonly used in agriculture for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel.

The term “rapeseed” can be off-putting due to the negative connotation associated with the word “rape.” This has led to the more common use of the term “canola” in North America, which specifically refers to a variety of rapeseed that was developed in Canada in the 1970s. Canola oil is low in erucic acid, which makes it more suitable for human consumption compared to traditional rapeseed oil.

The rebranding to “canola” (a contraction of “Canada” and “ola,” meaning oil) was a marketing move to make the product more appealing to consumers.

That seems wise.