The re-naming of rape or rapeseed-derived cooking oil into the less-provocative-sounding Canola (possibly an acronym for 'Canada oil, low-acid') apparently began in the late 1970s. In the 21st century few ordinary Americans or Canadians will be familiar with rapeseed oil or rape oil, though they may well be familiar with Canola oil.

Etymologist Barry Popik reported the following to the ADS-L list on 31 January 2003:

The (Oxford English Dictionary) still doesn't list "canola" or "canola oil," although Merriam-Webster has 1979 as their first recorded usage for "canola" and 1986 for "canola oil." Merriam-Webster suggests that "canola"="Canada oil-low acid." The following citations are from ProQuest Historical Newspapers.

3 April 1979, New York Times, pg. A18:

Purification ('Purifying' the Botanical Vocabulary)

It was only a matter of time before somebody decided something had to be done about rapeseed. No matter that the "rape" of this oil seed comes from the Latin rapum, or "turnip," and not from the Latin rapere, meaning "to seize." Rapeseed processors in Canada want to call their product "canola," a name that sounds as if it were inspired by granola, holism's favorite breakfast food. But purging "rapeseed" is only the beginning of the work that needs to be done to cleanse the botanical vocabulary. How can the pure-in-tongue rest easy while the fields are full of horehound, lady-in-the-night and squawroot — a.k.a. Stinking Benjamin?

21 February 1984, Wall Street Journal, pg. 49:

FDA Is Seen Clearing Rapeseed Oil for Use In U.S. Food Products

OTTAWA — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize soon the use of rapeseed oil as a food product in the U.S., FDA officials said.

Rapeseed oil, also known as canola oil, is a vegetable oil used in cooking and food processing. It is Canada's main oil-seed product. Rapeseed oil is also used in many countries as an ingredient in such foods as margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing and shortening. It competes with other oilseeds, including soybean and sunflowers.

The U.S. has barred rapeseed oil from its edible-oil market because it contains erucic acid, a fatty acid that was cited in the early 1970s as a possible source of heart problems. The proposed FDA regulation would allow only rapeseed oil with low erucic acid content to be used in foods in the U.S.

The Canadian government has taken the initiative in seeking FDA clearance for low erucic acid rapeseed oil, asking in 1982 that low erucic acid rapeseed oil be put on the FDA's list of products "generally regarded as safe."

Rapeseed, which grows well in northern climates, is Canada's major oilseed crop. It accounts for about 54% of Canada's domestic market for edible oils.

The Canola Council of Canada, a rapeseed-industry trade group, said FDA authorization would open the U.S. market to Canadian exports of rapeseed oil and to products containing the oil. Canada has given the name Canola to its low erucic acid varieties of rapeseed oil.