(Milan) A third of Italians have reduced their consumption of extra-virgin olive oil, a true pillar of the Mediterranean diet, due to soaring prices, according to a survey published Friday.
But Italian producers dispute these figures, saying the survey of consumer confidence does not give the full picture and that in fact sales of higher quality Italian extra-virgin olive oil may be increasing. .
Italian survey respondents said they had reduced their consumption of extra-virgin olive oil by at least 30%, or even half, as average supermarket prices rose from 4 to 9 euros per liter bottle ( a range varying from approximately 6 to 13 Canadian dollars), according to a survey by the independent research institute Piepoli.
Nearly half of those surveyed said they were replacing olive oil with another, cheaper seed oil. The margin of error of the survey, conducted among 500 Italian adults, is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Less marked decline than elsewhere
The drop in consumption reported in Italy is much less marked than in other olive oil-producing countries in the Mediterranean. Because two years of drought have significantly reduced production in Spain, the world’s largest producer of olive oil, and pushed up global prices.
Greece and Spain have both seen their olive oil sales fall by a third over the past year, according to industry estimates.
Even if the Italian figures are less dramatic, they are still too serious for the industry to accept without flinching. David Granieri, president of the Unaprol olive consortium, which represents half of Italy’s production, argued that the price rise had helped clarify the market, separating lower-quality extra-virgin olive oils from premium ones.
While the Piepoli survey shows that consumers are buying less oil from supermarket shelves, Granieri argues that industry data indicates that domestic sales of extra-virgin olive oil produced in Italy, which can cost up to 14 euros per liter, increased by 8% during the first two months of this year.
“The Italian consumer has been left with the illusion that olive oil is just a basic product,” thanks to low prices in supermarkets, Mr. Granieri said. “However, olive oil is not a simple basic product: it is a nutrient at the heart of the Mediterranean diet, which also plays a fundamental role on a social level (…) It is something that is keenly felt in Italy. »
Sara Merigo, CEO of Piepoli, emphasized that the survey measured consumer sentiment, which is separate from sales figures. According to her, the knee-jerk reaction is due to the close relationship that Italians have with their olive oil.
“It’s not just a product: it represents us on the international stage and has been part of our diet for centuries,” she says. This is particularly why the data “struck” the imagination in Italy.
reference: www.lapresse.ca