I’m writing this post from the lively city of Madrid, Spain—one of the healthiest places in the world.
In 2019, Spain was rated the healthiest nation on Earth by the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index. Spain’s life expectancy of 84 years is the highest of any country in the European Union, and Madrid’s life expectancy of 86.1 years is the highest of any European region.
Spain is also well-known for its adherence to the Mediterranean diet, an eating pattern famed worldwide for preventing chronic illness, heart disease, and obesity as well as promoting longevity. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and a low intake of processed foods, red meat, and sweets. The most iconic aspect of the Mediterranean diet, however, is its abundant use of extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil (or EVOO) is perhaps the healthiest fat on Earth and has been strongly tied to a variety of health benefits. Consumption of EVOO has been shown to protect against heart disease, reduce chronic inflammation, support weight control, lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and generally increase life expectancy. EVOO is rich in monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants called polyphenols, which likely play a key role in these benefits.
Another important benefit of olive oil is that it often replaces less healthy fats. For instance, animal fats like butter and lard are high in saturated fat and have been repeatedly tied to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other ailments. Likewise, refined seed oils like soybean oil and corn oil are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which some experts suspect of promoting inflammation and contributing to various chronic illnesses. By including more olive oil in their diets, people likely consume far fewer of these fats.
Throughout my time in Madrid, I’ve gotten to see how olive oil plays a central role in Spain’s food system—in restaurants and grocery stores alike.
In Spanish tapería restaurants, classic dishes like pimentos al Padrón (sauteed peppers), gildas (savory skewers), and gambas al ajilo (garlic shrimp) are served drenched in olive oil. Likewise, fried foods like patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicy sauce) and huevos rotos (fried eggs) are fried in olive oil, a practice nearly unheard of in the United States. In fact, nearly every menu entree has some form of olive oil in it, which simultaneously makes the food taste better and improves its healthfulness. Complementary olives are often served with meals.
In bakeries and dessert shops, pastries like magdalenas (Spanish muffins) and cocas de llanda (Valencian cakes) use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter or vegetable oil. Even foods that would clearly be considered junk food, like churros (deep fried sticks of dough), gain some nutritional value due to being fried in olive oil.
This pattern is also clearly visible in Spanish grocery stores. In the “oils” sections of the markets I’ve visited, the vast majority of the products I saw were olive oils, with sunflower oils comprising the remaining few offerings. Compared to the U.S., where refined oils and animal-based fats like vegetable oil and butter dominate, I struggled to even find those products in Spanish stores. Further, in packaged foods like bottled gazpacho (a tomato-based drink) or frozen tortilla (a Spanish omelet), I frequently saw aceite de oliva virgen extra (EVOO) near the top of ingredients lists, indicating that olive oil is commonly used even in processed foods.
My experiences made it clear to me that olive oil plays a dominant role in Spanish cuisine, and data supports this claim. Spain, despite being a relatively small country, is the world’s largest producer and second-largest consumer of olive oil, consuming 425,000 tons in 2022—more than the entire United States. Per-capita consumption of olive oil also dwarves that of the U.S; Spaniards consume an average of 7.5 kg per year, while Americans consume about 1.1kg.
Given the numerous nutritional benefits of olive oil, Spain’s high olive oil consumption almost certainly contributes to the country’s stellar public health. This raises the question—how did it get this way?
While Spain’s olive-friendly Mediterranean climate and long-standing cultural preferences are surely major factors contributing to this pattern, Spanish food policy also plays an important role—one that U.S. policy could emulate.
First of all, Spain supports the production of affordable, high quality olive oil through subsidies. For instance, Andalusia, the largest olive oil-producing region of Spain, recently allocated €1 billion over three years towards its olive sector to fund research, water infrastructure, international marketing, and general competitiveness. Additionally, Spain’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) grants various other subsidies, including a program allocating millions of euros towards small olive groves “with specific difficulties and high environmental value.” These subsidies help to support a resilient and profitable olive oil industry.
Further, the Spanish government grants Denomination of Protected Origin (DOP) and Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certifications to olive oils that meet stringent standards for traditional production and characteristics. These certifications carry a wide-reaching reputation for exceptional taste and quality, and certified oils are often produced by small-scale farmers using sustainable, time-honored farming methods. By offering these certifications, the Spanish government boosts the market competitiveness of small olive oil producers while also providing an incentive for farmers to maintain the quality of their products.
Additionally, Spain encourages olive oil consumption by integrating it into its nutrition policy. The Spanish Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, which set forth a list of holistic recommendations for a healthy diet, devote an entire section to olive oil. The section, titled “Olive Oil Every Day,” advises people to “use olive oil in all meals, as a dressing and in the preparation of food.” Compared with the U.S. guidelines, Spain’s are seen as more trustworthy and accessible, so this advice may go a long way in promoting olive oil consumption among the Spanish public.
Spain also categorizes olive oil—but not other fats and oils—as a “basic foodstuff,” which means that consumers pay a super-reduced Value Added Tax (VAT) rate when purchasing it. As a result, while seed oils may be taxed at rates as high as 7.5%, olive oil’s VAT rate is capped at 4%—and can be as low as 0%. This policy makes olive oil more affordable and attractive for the average consumer.
Lastly, the 2024-2029 regulations from the Spanish Ministry of of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food have mandated a financial contribution of €6 per tonne from olive oil producers, which is primarily allocated towards the marketing of olive oil and the promotion of its consumption. The government collaborates directly with the olive oil industry to ensure the continued market success of olive oil, which simultaneously benefits Spain’s economy and its public health.
Thanks to Spain’s powerful combination of culture, climate, and policy, olive oil is prevalent at all levels of the country’s food system. When olive oil is king, public health—and flavor—both benefit.
Although the United States has a growing olive oil industry centered in California, there are vast untapped stretches of the southwestern U.S. well-suited for olive farming. Perhaps it’s time for us to learn from Spain’s olive-forward policy and start treating EVOO like the liquid gold that it is.
References:
Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición. (n.d.). Recomendaciones dietéticas.
Eurostat. Mortality and life expectancy statistics. European Commission.
Institute of Medicine. (2013). Dietary reference intakes. National Academies Press.
International Olive Council. (2025). Olive sector statistics (March 2025).
Tridge. (2025). New extension of standards for the Spanish olive oil sector.
World Population Review. (2025). Olive oil consumption by country.
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