'Young people are unaware of the health benefits of olive oil'

How has the olive oil industry in Italy evolved in recent years, and what are the main challenges it is currently facing?

The industry has adopted a new way of producing, which is not only sustainable from an environmental point of view, but also from economic and social ones. Climate crisis and geopolitical tensions are the main issues that have accelerated the change in the sector. Giving value to olive oil means remunerating the entire supply chain and relaunching the sector. We must all do it together, involving operators, from the field to the supermarket. We need a new vision of the sector, which focuses on innovation and the efficiency of all processes.

In recent decades, Italian companies expertise to promote olive oil as an ambassador of our Made in Italy has increased, investing in projects to disseminate Italian food culture – for example cooking schools - thus building over the decades the reputation that this product enjoys abroad today.

Our production deficit was the trigger that pushed companies to create “blending”, the all-Italian skill to combine oils from different places, blending them into a bouquet of aromas and flavors appreciated by consumers, in parallel with other food segments such as coffee or, outside of food, in fashion. The same trigger that pushed us to go looking for olive oil beyond the border, then led us to go abroad to offer our oils. The climate crisis now makes it necessary to resort to science and innovation, to implement production and fight climate change. Will we make it? We believe so. However, the commitment of the supply chain and institutions is necessary.

 What are the most important initiatives that Assitol is implementing to strengthen the industry?

The health aspects of olive oil are still little known to the public abroad, especially the young consumers, and it is on this side that we need to start a strong promotional activity, with the support of experts and organizations such as International Olive Council. Olive oil is much more than a simple dressing, and it is certainly not a fat like the others. It is a real squeeze of health and should be communicated and perceived as such, marking its difference from other fats and condiments. Scientific research has attested to its nutritional and health benefits, which make it a unique food of its kind. Also thanks to its contribution, the Mediterranean Diet is considered the healthiest and most sustainable diet in the world. There are all sorts of reasons to tell the great value of this food. In the 1960s, a similar pattern was adopted in the United States, with the support of the association of cardiologists. In our opinion, we need to take up this idea again and plan a real awareness and dissemination campaign, focused on the nutritional benefits of extra virgin.

 How has consumer perception of olive oil evolved in Italy and in the world, and is demand shifting towards healthier olive oil?

Attention to health is one of the main drivers of consumption in these days, so it is natural that the market is oriented towards all those foods that satisfy this need. Furthermore, olive oil can rightly be defined as "plant based" and therefore falls into a trend that is increasingly appreciated by consumers. Extra virgin is also the most important marker of the Mediterranean diet, the healthiest and most sustainable diet according to scientific research. Here too, the green element, another factor in growth of consumption in the agri-food sector, is very important

In terms of the youth, how is Assitol involving the new generations in the olive oil culture?

Investing in the future is essential. In our opinion, it is essential to enhance the aspects of taste and sustainability among younger consumers. There are hundreds of olive oils to choose that allow you a unique sensory experience, tailored to your preferences. It should not be forgotten that today, among young people, sustainability has a more significant weight than among adults. ASSITOL thinks it is very important to build an educational project for the schools, focused on future consumers, with institutional help. We continue to promote Pane&Olio, Italian snack based on fresh bread and extra vergin olive oil, which is a very useful tool to spread our food culture.

Italy is known for its high-quality olive oil, but how can it compete with the mass production of olive oil in other countries?

Even in painting, making a beautiful picture with many colors is certainly more appreciated than a black and white painting. We can say almost the same for a bottle of olive oil, it is certainly better if there are many olive cultivars inside rather than just one or two. Italy has more than 500 olive cultivars which give our companies the possibility, through blending, to create bouquets of aromas and flavors that other producing countries don't even dream of.

Of course, quality without quantity won’t get us very far.

ASSITOL has proposed to the entire supply chain to discuss and share strategies and actions, with the aim of relaunching the sector starting from production. We cannot become self-sufficient, but we can certainly implement quantities, keeping production costs and operator profitability in balance. To do so, however, it is necessary to modernize our olive growing, making it stronger and more productive. We also hope that our olive growers choose to follow the path of aggregation and consortium, which are essential to cancel the fragmentation of Italian olive groves, which are too small - just 1 hectare on average - to be truly profitable. In the best campaigns, our olive national production covers only 30% of our needs, internal and external, equal to 1 million tons of olive oil.

Continuing like this means wanting to lose the bet on competitiveness. ASSITOL believes it is urgent to reverse the perspective. Focusing on good agricultural practices, on technology, on the fight against the climate crisis with new technologies will lead to modernizing the plants, increasing yields, remunerating olive growing. Unfortunately, distrust towards change, in Italy, is still strong, and we risk paying a high price for it.

Finally, what is the message you would like to convey to both olive oil producers and consumers at this crucial time for the sector?

Olive oil is an extraordinary food, with matchless nutritional and sensory qualities. This is why its value must be protected and disseminated, starting from the field and reaching those who consume it. According to EU data, over the last 5 years, olive oil production has gradually declined throughout Europe. After last difficult campaigns it will not be so automatic to see again those low-price promotions that have greatly damaged the image of this food. Our hope is that the era of commodity olive oil is over. ASSITOL, which has always fought against below-cost prices, has been repeating for years that olive oil is a squeeze of olives, not a detergent, and it is therefore unacceptable to treat it as a decoy product, to attract customers to the supermarkets by discounting prices. Its ability to provide well-being is unique, its taste is unparalleled. The right time has therefore come to convey to the consumer the message that extra virgin has a very specific value, therefore it must be paid appropriately, as already happens with wine.