Olive oil has been named as the most shoplifted foodstuff in Spain as criminal gangs, soaring prices and production shortages have plunged supermarkets into chaos.
The oil, a staple ingredient in Spain’s cuisine took the top spot in supermarket ‘theft rankings’ in regions comprising 70% of the Spanish population – ahead of ‘luxury’ items like fine cheeses and ibérico ham.
Its status as an essential product makes it all the more unusual as a target for shoplifters, but a surge in prices has seen its ‘black market’ resale value skyrocket.
Spain is the world’s largest producer of olive oil, but prices have almost tripled in the last four years; shoppers who once could have bought a litre of extra virgin oil for €5 (£4) may now have to shell out €14 (£12).
The ingredient was ranked as the most stolen ingredient in regions comprising 70% of Spain's population
Wikimedia Commons
The price jump is due to years of poor olive harvests, with large-scale drought and extreme temperatures making growing the Mediterranean staple extraordinarily difficult.
But Alejandro Alegre, marketing director at security firm STC – which unearthed the data – said it was “important to note that there is no hunger theft” behind the trend, the Financial Times reported.
Organised criminals have taken advantage of the crisis, specifically targeting olive oil due to the sheer scale of its demand among Spanish consumers who can no longer afford it.
Gangs can resell olive oil to Spaniards in need – sparking a dedicated black market trade in the ingredient.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Olive oil was targeted at higher rates than the 'luxury' ibérico ham
Photocapy via Flickr
Supermarkets have even turned to placing anti-theft devices, once the preserve of expensive wines, on bottles of oil.
But crafty criminals quickly circumvented these measures, using magnets to open and remove the devices – meaning they can be smuggled out of shops undetected.
STC said olive oil was the most stolen product in supermarkets in eight out of 17 Spanish regions, including Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia – the three most populous.
While olive oil topped the food theft rankings, spirits were the most shoplifted item overall – but Spanish criminals also targeted ‘gourmet’ seafoods like tuna and cockles.
Businesses in Spain lose €1.8 billion (£1.5 billion) worth of goods every year to both shoplifting and administrative mistakes, according to trade group AECOC.
And criminals have taken to targeting the ‘liquid gold’ at the source – both olive growers and pressers have fallen victim to thefts of tens of thousands of litres of oil in the last few months.
Despite Spain’s olive harvest set to yield 800,000 tonnes of oil – “a decent increase on the same period last year”, according to data company Mintec’s oilseeds and vegetable oils analyst Kyle Holland – Mediterranean countries are facing a troubling harvest.
Holland said: “Everyone else – Italy, Turkey and Greece – is producing less… And it’s not just the supply. The quality has dropped off because of the extreme heat.”