Did you know that olive oil consumption is expected to increase compared to other vegetable oils and butter?
European Union officials predict an increase in olive oil consumption due to increased awareness of its health benefits.
The benefits of olive oil
A food of many virtues, it contributes to body growth, the myelination process in the brain and bone formation.
These are good, unsaturated fats that lower LDL cholesterol levels in favor of good cholesterol HDL cholesterol, which helps blood circulation and protects against atherosclerosis.
This trend is definitely expected to have a strong impact in home cooking and food services.
Thus, extra virgin olive oil has many beneficial and healing properties. This statement, unfortunately, does not apply to all oils on the market.
In fact, many oils are the result of chemical processes and contain substances that are not exactly healthy. For this reason, it is important to pay close attention to the products you buy, always checking the label and information about the origin of the olives and the place of production.
Oil consumption and production in Europe
In addition, with regard to field cultivation, the area under olive trees for oil production is expected to increase.
According to data from the International Olive Council, there has been a sharp increase in olive oil consumption in European countries over the past three decades.
Italy is the world’s largest producer of olive oil but in recent years there has been an increase in its consumption, in countries where there was no tradition.
Germany’s consumption has risen from 9,800 tons in 1991 to an estimated 76,900 tons in 2021, the report says, and the Netherlands’ consumption has increased from 1,500 tons to 9,600 tons over the same period.
Olive oil consumption in non-producing EU countries rose from 21,400 tons to 162,700, and non-producing countries outside the EU saw their olive oil consumption quadruple.
Additionaly, EU officials expect demand for vegetable oils to be significantly influenced by the production of biodiesel, particularly rapeseed oil.
Sunflower oil market growth is expected to be limited to Hungary and Germany, while demand will stagnate in the rest of the EU.