Chapter 72 - Trends in Olive Oil Production, Supply and Consumption in Mediterranean Countries from 1961 to the Present Day

Abstract

Olive oil is an integral feature of the Mediterranean diet, and it is probably the most globally traded and consumed product connected to the traditional Mediterranean diet. Despite this, there are enormous geographical differences in olive oil supply among Mediterranean countries, with 30-fold differences found during the 1960s. Thus describing olive oil supply at a regional level can provide useful information on the regional variations in dietary patterns compared to describing the Mediterranean diet as a uniform entity. In addition to important geographical differences, several studies have shown that considerable temporal changes have taken place in the dietary patterns of Mediterranean countries over the last 3–4 decades, with important changes in some, but not all, of the components. In terms of olive oil, there are differences in olive oil supply and consumption across time, but these changes are not uniform across Mediterranean countries. This chapter gives an overview of the temporal trends in olive oil production, supply, and consumption in 15 Mediterranean countries from the 1960s up until the present day. The countries have been defined as Mediterranean using the broad definition that they are in geographical contact with the Mediterranean Sea. They include five European Mediterranean countries—Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus—and ten African or Asiatic Mediterranean countries—Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. As non-Mediterranean countries account for less than 3.5% of world olive oil production, this chapter focuses on production in Mediterranean countries only, using production data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.