Olive oil has risen the most in price of all supermarket products
It is no news that life has become considerably more expensive in recent years. Hotels, restaurants and cafés have gone up quite a bit in price, and the same applies to supermarkets. The reasons why prices keep rising vary considerably: from higher fuel prices to more expensive raw materials. Olive oil has risen the most in price. Is this the new liquid gold?
Olive oil 50 percent more expensive
I previously wrote about the gigantic price increase of olive oil. Prices are currently going through the roof. The striking thing is that there is quite a difference between supermarkets: the same bottle at Albert Heijn is ten (!) euros more expensive than at its competitor. An absurd price difference that cannot be explained, but the fact is that purchasing olive oil has become considerably more expensive.
This has everything to do with the drought affecting the producing countries. It is particularly bad in Greece; prices there have risen by 80 percent. The harvest also disappointed in Spain and Italy, and unfortunately that has been the case for years. “It simply doesn’t rain,” Cecile van Berkum (echteolijfole.nl) tells NU.nl. She lives in Spain and watches it with dismay: “After two years of poor harvests, the reserves have run out too.”
The future is still uncertain
What happens in the coming years remains to be seen. If (more) rainfall returns, prices could well fall again. Although, as consumers, we probably will not notice much of that for the time being. In fact, the likelihood is currently greater that it will become even more expensive; production is already one-third lower than normal and prices are already doubling (especially at Albert Heijn).
Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives in the supermarket, but if you still want to stock up on real (extra virgin) olive oil, go to Dirk. They are still by far the cheapest there, so it might even be smart to buy an extra bottle.
