Sales of olive oil in Spain in 2022 are only slightly below expectations

Despite record crop losses, a sharp increase in costs and a record price increase, the National Association of Packers and Processors of Edible Oils of Spain (Anierac) reported stable sales of olive oil in 2022. Its participants sold 305.31 million liters last year compared to 309.35 million liters in 2021, which is only 1.31% less.

In 2022, there was also an overall increase in sales of extra virgin olive oil. This means a tendency to still choose the best varieties of olive oil and spend them more economically than to take a cheaper one without reducing consumption. In total, 7.26 million liters of extra virgin olive oil were sold in Spain, compared to 6.58 million in 2021, which is 10.30% more. As for blended olive oils, sales of mixtures (more unrefined than primary) remained at about the same level as in 2021.

Sales of significantly cheaper pomace olive oil amounted to 18.30 million liters, which represents an increase of 16.41%. This coincided with a drop in sales of vegetable oil (primarily sunflower) by 10.43 million liters, or 3.04%, which were affected by a sharp rise in prices and a shortage of raw materials due to a special military operation in Ukraine.

The stability of the domestic olive oil market in Spain confirms the opinion of industry experts: "A Spanish family consumes an average of 40 liters of olive oil per year. If we divide this by a month and for each family member, then the price increase will be a few pennies. People will not give up the Mediterranean diet to save 60 euros a year."