Last week Lufthansa made history. Weeks ahead of its major European rivals, the airline resumed scheduled services to Israel. As of last Monday, the German carrier is offering four weekly flights between Frankfurt and Tel Aviv and three from Munich. The routes mark the first time the company has operated to the country since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in early October.
Why olive oil prices are soaring and what to do about it
27.12.2023 - 18:07 / bbc.com
The image of a celebrity chef dousing their Caprese salad, gazpacho or dolmas with extra-virgin olive oil is incredibly ambitious at the moment, with most Europeans facing record prices in the supermarket aisle. But why have olive oil prices risen so sharply?
For the past decade, the oldest cultivated trees on Earth have been showing their vulnerability with many of the Mediterranean's olive groves drying up due to increasingly difficult weather conditions such as droughts and severe hailstorms leading to floods. And in 2023, the region – as well as the whole planet – experienced the hottest summer on record.
Italy, Greece and Spain, the largest olive-oil producing nations, have felt the greatest impact – as have chefs and consumers, who are baffled at what to cook with in lieu of their staple ingredient.
"I never saw in all my life a dryness like this one," said Rossella Boeri, olive oil producer and fifth-generation owner of Olio Roi in Badalucco, Italy, referring to the drought of this past summer. "Luckily the olive trees are strong, but we are facing a really big lack of production which is reflected in our olive oil prices, which coincidentally has led to a lower consumption and demand for our olive oil."
In Almeria, Spain, Rafael Alonso Barrau, seventh-generation farmer and owner of Oro Del Desierto confirms the declining numbers. "Last year we had 15% less than average compared to the last 20 years. We might consider this normal as olive trees produce not the same every year with alternate yearly yields the norm, but this year we had less than 45% yield and this matters a lot."
Despite there being varying reasons for the low numbers, climate change remains the greatest villain causing the crisis, says Barrau. "The concern is that our summers are becoming longer and hotter and we believe this affects the viability of the production."
While olive oil producers are fighting for survival, European consumers also feeling the pinch. Large companies, in what Boeri describes as "cartels", are driving up olive oil prices, not only hurting smaller, family-run businesses, but also causing panic in supermarkets. There's even been an increase in olive oil shoplifting. According to Mintec, raw material market forecaster and data analysis firm, prices of Spanish olive oil had risen by 115% between September 2022 and September 2023.
Although higher prices are also being felt around the world, they are hitting Europe the hardest, especially since, for many Europeans, olive oil is more than just an ingredient; it's an irreplaceable cultural marker.
"It is like the blood for a human being, it is a part of who I am and as a chef, it is the basis of everything I do," said Matteo D'Elia, head chef and owner of
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