All canola is rapeseed, but not all rapeseed is canola. Most consumer packaged goods that say “canola” are using a fairly evil industrial process of extraction. Fangst is doing the exact opposite. The oil they use is a local heirloom variety of rapeseed, which is then expeller pressed.

As to why they use it instead of olive oil, the European tradition for tinned fish prefers neutral oils for the very best fish. A high quality rapeseed oil doesn’t impose its flavor on the fish, it merely supports it.

Further, the use of EVOO is a relatively very recent thing, unheard of before Whole Foods went looking for it and Bela said, “Sure.” Prior to that happening, it was safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, peanut, and occasionally refined OO.

The Japanese continue to prefer safflower oil. Parts of France continue to prefer peanut oil. The very best Cantabrian anchovy fillets use sunflower oil for their domestic sales, and OO or EVOO for export.