Olive oil is now the most stolen product in supermarkets in Spanish regions covering about half the country, according to new figures.
This comes as prices rose after a scorching drought in the south last year struck the olive crop.
Organized criminal gangs steal the oil, called “liquid gold,” to then resell, according to Ruben Navarro, president of the Two Super supermarket chain, which operates 30 stores in the United States. SpainAndalusia region.
“Olive oil has become an ideal product for them to steal,” he said.
It is the second most stolen item in all supermarkets in Spain, after spirits. Iberico Ham ranked third on the poll's steals list.
A liter of high-quality extra virgin oil, which cost less than €5 (£4) four years ago, now costs €14 (£12).
Spain is the largest producer of olive oil and families usually buy it in large quantities for cooking purposes.
Supermarkets have taped large five-litre olive oil bottles together and locked them on shelves to prevent theft.
In some stores, one-litre bottles are equipped with security tags that staff must remove.
Photo: Reuters
But Jose Izquierdo, head of sales at the Erosky supermarket chain, said thieves are using magnetic devices to break the tags.
Olive oil is now the most stolen item in supermarkets in Aragon, Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid, the Balearic Islands and Extremadura, according to security company STC, which surveyed the stores.
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Alejandro Allegri, marketing director at STC, said it was unusual to see a staple food item ranked high on the stolen list.
“Only olive oil can be considered an essential ingredient, the others are Iberico ham, bacon, razor blades and alcohol,” he told the Financial Times.
The newspaper reported that olive farmers and companies that press olives and turn them into oil were also victims of robberies, as thieves stole tens of thousands of liters of oil.
