this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2025
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Rapeseed is a plant that is grown for its oil and is called "rape" for short.
As a native English speaker, I'd assume most people have the same first thought as you and is why they changed it.
That oil is more commonly called canola, by the way. Canadian Oil, Low Acid. Used for the same reason the motto was changed.
No Canola is different then rapeseed. I mean it's a modified version of it.
How is Canola different than Rapeseed when it just comes from a different variety of Rapeseed? It's like saying grape juice isn't grape juice just because it came from a white grape instead of a concord grape.
Having to promote it as "rape oil" would be a marketing department's nightmare.
I think you'd sometimes see it as "rapeseed oil" - still not great, but better.
It's more like it's called rapeseed for long. It used to just be called "rape", but people wanted to distinguish the name from the other meaning and it's mostly the seeds we grow it for
Note that canola is a variety of rapeseed.