Morning Edition ·
Food

Why olive oil prices finally fell

Two good harvests, replanted groves and a demand dip broke a three-year price spiral — retail prices are down a third from the peak.

SHARE X f in

Olive oil prices have fallen by a third from their 2024 peak, ending a three-year spiral that turned the Mediterranean staple into a luxury good and a target for supermarket theft.

The reversal rests on two consecutive strong harvests in Spain, which produces roughly half the world's supply, after drought-adapted replanting and expanded irrigation came online. Andalusian mills report their tanks full for the first time since 2022.

Demand also did its part: consumption in southern Europe fell almost 20 percent during the price surge as households switched to seed oils, and it has been slow to return — leaving a surplus that producers say will keep prices soft through next season.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE X Facebook LinkedIn Copy link
U
UBStandard Business Desk

Reporting and analysis from the UBStandard newsroom — politics, business, technology and culture, published daily from New York.

Related coverage Front page →