12 August 2026 – 14:52 | Categories: Grocery, Market
Milan – The argument put forward by the Financial Times, according to which Spanish olive oil is superior to Italian olive oil (read here), is being challenged by Giuseppe Caprotti, former CEO of Esselunga, who has weighed in on the issue with a post on LinkedIn. According to Caprotti, the British newspaper’s article sets out a series of arguments regarding the alleged superior quality of Spanish olive oil without providing sufficient evidence to substantiate this claim. “In the article, the alleged superiority of Spanish olive oil over Italian olive oil remains merely an assertion. In fact, no panel tests, chemical analyses, references to production regulations or comparative studies capable of demonstrating objective superiority are presented,” writes Caprotti.
The comment therefore primarily questions the discrepancy between the article’s headline and the evidence presented in the text. The FT does, in fact, describe the progress made by some Spanish producers towards enhancing the quality of their extra virgin olive oil, but does not offer a direct technical comparison with Italian production.
You can find my short article here: The Financial Times: “Spanish olive oil is superior to Italian olive oil” but it is not clear why
