Sunflower oil is ahead of olive oil in the Spanish market

Sunflower oil has dethroned olive oil as king of the kitchen in Spain. The news has left many in the world’s largest olive oil producer shocked, as rising prices force consumers to switch to cheaper options. Spaniards bought 107 million litres (28.3 million gallons) of all types of olive oil in the first half of 2024 compared to 179 million litres of sunflower oil, according to Spain‘s biggest olive oil bottling association, Anierac. Until this year, olive oil has been the most popular cooking oil in Spanish households, accounting for 62% of sales by volume in 2023 while sunflower oil represented almost 34%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. “It is clear that olive oil consumption is falling in Spain,” said Primitivo Fernandez, spokesman for Anierac. “There are households that used to buy only olive oil and for the first time are now buying sunflower oil and olive oil,” he said. Olive oil sales by volume fell 18% from the first half of 2023, Anierac said. Sunflower oil ...