Olive oil becomes most shoplifted item from Spanish stores

Olive oil has become the most shoplifted item from supermarkets in Spain.

The kitchen staple has been nicknamed "liquid gold" as it has been slipping through Spanish retailers' hands, reports Euronews.

Droughts and heatwaves have pushed the price of olive oil up in Spain, leading to its high commodity status in the country. 

In 70% of the country's regions, it is the most shoplifted product from supermarkets, overtaking other popular delicacies like ibérico ham, according to Euronews.

Spain is the biggest producer of olive oil on the planet and the product is a key part of both the country's economy and food culture. The Mediterranean diet wouldn't taste half as good without those healthy glugs of olive oil drizzled over basically everything.

But with the prices of olive oil being hit by inflation, wholesale price of the unctuous condiment have gone from €2.13 per kg in February 2020 to €8.88, with a 70% jump recorded just in the last year.

For shoppers, that has meant an increase of price from around €5 a kg to as much as €14.

Spanish shops have resorted to chaining together large bottles or fitting them with the sorts of security tags more often associated with top-shelf liquor.