Europe is followed by Asia (13%), Africa (8%) and America (3%). Within the European Community, Spain, Italy and Greece alone supply more than 97 % of EC production.
60 % of Spain’s olive orchards are located in Andalusia, where 75 % of Spanish live oil is produced. Italy is in the same position with 63 % of both its acreage and production centered in the southern region.
During the last 20 years, world production increased by almost 70 %, from 1.7 to 2.6 million tons. More than half of these additional quantities originated from Spain which increased its production from 505 to 1,154 thousand tons reaching a record of 1,412 thousand tons in 2003/04.
In terms of olive oil consumption, the main producing countries are also the main consuming countries. The traditional health promoting diets of Greece and the Mediterranean region are exemplary in their use of ‘good’ fats, especially olives and their oil.
In population and laboratory studies, use of dark green (virgin) olive oil instead of other cooking fats, especially butter, stick margarine and meat fats has been linked with numerous potential health benefits.
Olive production involves the twin stages of milling and separation of the oil from water resulting in three constituents – oil, husk and waste water. In traditional method milling is conducted with a millstone or hammer stone, and oil extraction is achieved by hydraulic.
Nowadays there is a great demand for olive products, mainly by nontraditional consumers such as Brazil, Russia and China. Olive oil possesses the ninth in the world production of vegetable oils.
Accumulated evidence suggests that the oil may have health benefits that include:
*Reduction of risk factors of coronary heart disease
*Prevention of several types of cancers (breast colorectal, prostate, others)
*Modification of immune response, reduction of inflammation markers
*Decrease of age –related cognitive decline
Olive oils world production
