Planas: The health properties of olive oil should be recognised in future EU nutrition labelling

Luis Planas has expressed the need for the health properties of olive oils to be recognised in the EU's future front nutritional labelling, which will be compulsory and the same for all Member States in the near future, in order to transmit all the information to the consumer as clearly and reliably as possible.

Luis Planas has taken part in a conference on nutritional and healthy labelling of olive oils in the EU, organised by the International Olive Oil Council (IOC), where he has committed to continue generating knowledge about the properties of oils, sharing it and communicating it to consumers, who are increasingly concerned about following a healthier and more sustainable diet.

The minister assured that harmonised nutritional labelling is "a necessary and extremely timely debate", pointing out that, according to the timetable, the proposal made by the European Commission will presumably be debated during the Spanish Presidency, in the second half of 2023. This issue will be one of the topics the minister will address with the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, at their meeting on Monday 23 May in Brussels.

Planas stressed that it must be ensured that nutritional labelling is carried out with the utmost precision, taking advantage of all the accumulated knowledge to transmit the more than proven healthy properties of this basic food of the Mediterranean Diet, which has been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

For the minister, harmonised single EU labelling will contribute to guaranteeing consumer protection and the correct functioning of the single market, since it will both avoid confusing the consumer and prevent the possible penalisation of certain products.

The minister pointed out that Spain, as the world's leading producer and exporter of olive oil, is also making great efforts to be the leading country in the development of scientific and technical knowledge about this product, through initiatives undertaken by different universities and public and private research centres. In this area, the minister highlighted the opportunity to consolidate the Innovation and Knowledge System (AKIS) of the Spanish olive grove and continue investing in R+D+I.

He explained that Spain has a very clear interest in spreading the benefits of olive oil, as do the other major EU producers, such as Italy, Greece and Portugal. He therefore valued the IOC's efforts to compile the available scientific knowledge and to disseminate the main conclusions on the nutritional and health properties of olive oil.

The minister encouraged continued innovation to generate differential elements that will help olive oil to continue to win markets on an ongoing basis. Indeed, one of olive oil's greatest assets is that it is one of the healthiest fats. To this effect, Spain, in addition to leading the production and export of olive oil, will contribute to disseminating scientific and technical knowledge on the subject.

The olive grove sector plays an essential role in agri-food activity, with 2.77 million hectares of surface area, representing 15% of the total cultivated land. Spain accounts for 70 % of olive oil production in the European Union and 46 % of the world total.

Non official translation