Focused on the Mediterranean Tradition and its Modern Applications, the 3rd Cretan Lifestyle Conference gathered more than 75 researchers, students, and professionals from 12 countries and six continents to examine the health benefits of a traditional Greek diet and lifestyle. This multi-generational experiential event connected individuals aged 20 to 89. 

Considering human responses to the growing threat of climate change, the International Olive Sustainability Conference drew more than 200 researchers, farmers, and olive sector professionals from over 15 countries. The conference was co-hosted by the University of California Davis Olive Center and the Culinary Institute of America from September 3-5, 2024.

Scientific research indicates that high phenolic extra virgin olive oil (HPEVOO) can play an important role in combatting many diseases. At the 2024 Olympia Health & Nutrition Awards ceremony organized by the World Olive Center for Health (WOCH) in Athens, scientists presented some of the latest results of research on HPEVOO that WOCH has supported.

The North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) is a not-for-profit trade group of olive oil marketers dedicated to promoting consumption of all types of olive oil by raising awareness of olive oil’s benefits, such as flavor, health, culinary versatility, naturalness, and sustainability. It is the continent’s largest olive oil trade group.

The international recognition of high phenolic extra virgin olive oil and its disease-fighting properties was the focus of the 9^th Olympia Health & Nutrition Awards ceremony on June 27 in Athens, Greece. With more than 600 olive oil samples tested for health-protecting natural phenolic compounds at the University of Athens this year, over 250 were awarded.

At the 13th edition of the Olive Japan International Olive Oil Competition, the largest olive oil contest in Asia and Oceania, Greek olive oils took home 7 Gold awards and 17 Silvers. With 766 entries from 28 countries competing, 20 judges from 11 countries determined that over 63% of Greek entries deserved awards, even in this very challenging crop year.

In certain upscale restaurants in Greece (some in five-star hotels), extra virgin olive oil is now being elevated to the level of fine wine. So at the 2nd International ELIA Lesvos Confest in Greece, chefs discussed recent trends in the use and presentation of olive oil in gastronomy, such as olive oil menus, olive oil bars, and even olive oil sommeliers.

The 2nd International ELIA Lesvos Confest (an olive conference and festival) took place at the Vrana Olive Press Museum on the island of Lesvos in Greece May 23-26. Local olive farmers joined eminent scientists, olive oil and tourism experts, and chefs to examine olive oil in terms of health, tourism, tradition, marketing, sustainability, and gastronomy.  

At the 2024 edition of the Athena International Olive Oil Competition (IOOC), 107 Greek olive oils won medals and 8 got special awards. Taking place in a different part of Greece each year—this time in Sparta, Laconia–the Athena IOOC is uniquely dedicated to spotlighting olive oils created from a number of Greek olive varieties grown in diverse regions.

Fourteen U.S. students have been exploring the Greek version of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle and their health benefits on a three-week experiential learning trip in Greece. Part of the Global Health Internship program at Brigham Young University, this journey combines tourist cruises, hikes, and destinations with traditional activities and classes.

“Olive oil is one of the most important reasons why Crete is known in the rest of the world. Based on this, we can understand that olive oil on our island was and will be the king of foods!” exclaims oil producer Eftychis Androulakis in a perfect example of Cretan passion for a product that is central to the island’s tourism, cuisine, economy, and history. 

The olive tree and olive oil have symbolized peace and reconciliation for millennia, as well as playing key roles in the cuisine of the people of the Mediterranean region. Two producers of extra virgin olive oil from both sides of the Aegean Sea are now honoring these symbols with a collector’s case featuring extra virgin olive oils from Greece and Türkiye.

The Cretan Olive Oil Competition (COOC) celebrated its 10th anniversary and the accomplishments of Cretan olive oil producers with an awards ceremony and informative seminars in Heraklion, Crete, Greece on March 31. Olive oil sector professionals and Cretan dignitaries honored the 43 extra virgin olive oils from Crete that received awards and commendations.

At the 2024 Food Expo in Athens, hundreds of Greek olive oil company representatives joined other food and drink professionals to exhibit products and connect with buyers. They also talked with Greek Liquid Gold about the Expo’s usefulness, their companies’ innovations, and the challenging crop year, with high prices and growing evidence of global warming.

Now in its 13th year and expecting over 700 samples, Olive Japan International Olive Oil Competition (OJ) is the biggest olive oil contest in Asia and Oceania. With great respect for the contest and the way OJ helps companies connect with Asian consumers and buyers, OJ judges praise its organization, fairness, and promotional efforts for olive oil in Japan. 

In 2023, Greece claimed over 5 times as many “EVOO of the Year” distinctions in the EVOO World Ranking as in 2017: 66 in 2023, up from 13. This increase supports experts’ claims that growing numbers of Greek olive oil producers and companies are engaging in the hard work, best practices, and painstaking care required to produce excellent olive oil.

For over a decade, Laconiko extra virgin olive oils from Greece have been winning annual awards at the prestigious NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest olive oil contest. Its 11 years of awards make Laconiko the most consistently awarded Greek olive oil at this competition. The company is also a top winner at contests around the world.

Concerned that the World Health Organization’s latest guidelines defining “healthy diets” calls for a limitation of total fat intake to a level below that in the traditional Mediterranean diet, prominent scientists have signed a statement requesting that the recommended level be increased, and a distinction be made between fats and oils, and among oils.

Katerina Mountanos grew up flying back and forth between the USA and Greece. In her grandparents’ small Greek village, the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle absorbed her. As a mother cooking in her American kitchen, she missed the fresh, healthy, authentic flavors of Greece. So she created Kosterina, a company that brings the goodness of Greece to Americans.

With the Mediterranean diet ranked the “Best Diet Overall” by U.S. News & World Report for the 7th year in a row in 2024, it is a model for healthy eating. In fact, it is even more. It goes beyond food to include various aspects of the traditional Mediterranean way of life. Resembling other traditional, healthy lifestyles, it is easy for many to embrace.