Sunflower oil has dethroned olive oil as “king” in the kitchens of Spain, the world’s biggest olive oil producer, as rising prices force consumers to switch to cheaper options.

Spaniards bought 107 million liters of all types of olive oil in the first half of 2024 compared to 179 million liters of sunflower oil, according to Spain’s largest olive oil bottling association, Anierac.

To date, olive oil has been the most popular cooking oil in Spanish households, accounting for 62% of sales by volume in 2023, while sunflower oil accounted for almost 34%, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

“It is clear that olive oil consumption is declining in Spain,” said Primitivo Fernandez, Anierac’s spokesman. “There are households that used to buy only olive oil and for the first time are now buying sunflower oil and olive oil,” he added.

Olive oil sales by volume are down 18% from the first half of 2023, Anierac says.

Sales of sunflower oil rose 25% by volume last year, according to official figures.

A bottle of sunflower oil cost an average of 1.86 euros a liter last year, while the most expensive types of olive oil cost 6 euros a litre, 50% more than in 2022, according to official data.

Spain normally supplies about 40% of the world’s olive oil, but spring heat waves and a prolonged drought have reduced olive harvests in recent years, causing olive oil prices to double to record levels.

This has resulted in poor Spanish households finding it difficult to procure the staple of the Mediterranean diet, opting for cheaper sunflower oil, according to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture on trends in food consumption in 2023.

At the end of last year, olive oil was mainly consumed by middle- and upper-class households, the report noted.

Last year, one-litre bottles of extra virgin olive oil sold for around €14.50 in some supermarkets, making them among the retail products that carry safety labels.

In June, the Spanish government cut VAT on olive oil to make it more affordable, even if prices have fallen slightly this year.

Spain’s biggest supermarket chain Mercadona has cut the price of olive oil by 25% this year and this week is offering 1 liter bottles for under 7 euros, aiming to reach out to consumers, a company source said.