Spain: Sunflower oil has displaced olive oil from Spanish cuisine

Sunflower oil sales rose by 25% in volume terms last year, according to official figures.

Sunflower oil has displaced olive oil, which was considered the “king” in the kitchens of Spain, its largest producer. olive oil All over the world as rising prices force consumers to switch to cheaper options.

The Spanish bought 107 million liters of olive oil of all kinds in the first half of 2024 compared to 179 million liters of sunflower oilAccording to the largest olive oil bottling association in Spain, Anierac.

By far, olive oil is the most popular cooking oil in Spanish households, accounting for 62% of sales by volume in 2023, while sunflower oil represents nearly 34%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

«It is clear that olive oil consumption is declining in Spain.“Said Primitivo Fernandez, press representative of Anirac.There were families who used to buy only olive oil, and now for the first time they are buying sunflower oil and olive oil.He added.

Olive oil sales by volume are down 18% from the first half of 2023, Anirak says. Sunflower oil sales rose 25% by volume last year, according to official figures.

A bottle of sunflower oil cost an average of €1.86 per litre last year, while the most expensive olive oil cost €6 per litre, up 50% from 2022, according to official data.

Spain normally supplies about 40% of the world’s olive oil, but spring heat waves and prolonged drought have reduced olive harvests in recent years, sending olive oil prices to record highs.

This has led to poor Spanish families finding it difficult to afford the staple of the Mediterranean diet, opting for cheaper sunflower oil, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s report on food consumption trends in 2023.

The report indicated that at the end of last year, olive oil was mainly consumed by middle and upper class families.

Last year, one-litre bottles of extra virgin olive oil were sold for around €14.50 in some supermarkets, making it among the retail products that carry safety labels.

In June, the Spanish government cut the value-added tax on olive oil to make it more affordable, even if prices have fallen slightly this year.

Spain’s largest supermarket chain, Mercadona, has cut the price of olive oil by 25% this year and is offering 1-litre bottles for less than €7 this week, aiming to reach consumers, a company source said.