An agrifood startup company contest affiliated with the third Cretan Lifestyle Conference helped promote young agrifood entrepreneurs in Greece. At an Innovation Symposium that preceded the larger conference, five young finalists gave brief “shark-tank pitches.” Experts from business and industry served as judges at the conference venue near Heraklion.
Why does olive oil help combat climate change? How can soil affect human well-being? What does marketing have to do with public health? These were just a few of the many questions considered by almost 100 participants from 15 countries at the 6th International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil and Health in Heraklion, Crete, Greece at the beginning of December.
The final day of the 3rd Cretan Lifestyle Conference began with an impromptu address by Mr. George J. Tsunis, U.S. Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic (Greece), who suggested that the traditional version of the Mediterranean diet that Greek grandmothers have prepared for generations using real, unprocessed food from the earth can help improve our health.
Growing up in China, Frank Hu followed a traditional Asian diet. Now the chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Hu researches the benefits of extra virgin olive oil and the traditional Mediterranean diet and enjoys a fusion of Asian and Mediterranean cuisines.
The 30th anniversary of the official publication of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid was commemorated as part of World Olive Day on November 21, 2024. Honoring the pioneers and organizations that promoted this initiative three decades ago, this event brought leading public health experts to Madrid, Spain to share their insights about the Mediterranean diet.
“ZOI” is the Greek word for life. ZOI Ultra is also the name of Laconiko’s healthiest extra virgin olive oil, which is ultra-rich in natural antioxidants that can help you live a longer, healthier life. ZOI Ultra is made from selected unripe Kalamon olives that are harvested early and treated with great care to yield the utmost health benefits and flavor.
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 9th 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.
