Grupo Interóleo has signed up to the Lisbon Manifesto on olive oil and health, an initiative launched within the framework of the Olive Oil World Congress (OOWC). In doing so, the group joins the commitment to highlight the scientific evidence available on the benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and to help disseminate it as part of a healthy diet.
The Manifesto sets out the main scientific evidence on the relationship between extra virgin olive oil consumption and health, and calls on governments, international organisations and health systems to strengthen the presence of EVOO in food and public health strategies aimed at preventing chronic non-communicable diseases.
Extra virgin olive oil occupies a central place in the Mediterranean Diet, one of the dietary patterns with the strongest scientific backing in this field. The evidence cited in the Manifesto includes the PREDIMED study, which associated a Mediterranean Diet enriched with EVOO with a reduction of approximately 30% in the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death. EFSA likewise recognises that olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative damage.
These are some of the findings set out in the Lisbon Manifesto, "Extra virgin olive oil: scientific evidence for global health", which proposes strengthening the role of EVOO within a healthy diet (varied, moderate and balanced), in line with the scientific evidence available.
Launched following the Olive Oil World Congress 2026, the Manifesto already brings together more than 80 organisations from 19 countries across four continents. The initiative now aims to move on from the scientific evidence towards wider dissemination of this knowledge and its consideration in decisions relating to food and health.
The signatories include universities and research centres, institutions specialising in nutrition and health, farming organisations, industry associations and other bodies linked to the olive oil sector, from a range of countries. The document is also backed by government representatives from Algeria and Pakistan.
The Manifesto also has the support of the medical and scientific community. The organisations that have signed up include the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN), the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC), the Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN) and the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA).
From the Manifesto to action
The signatories undertake to convey the content of the document at national level, presenting it to their respective governments, health systems and competent authorities, as well as to the relevant international bodies, with the aim of helping to spread the scientific evidence on EVOO more widely.
The proposals set out in the Manifesto include reviewing national and international dietary guidelines to consider the inclusion of specific recommendations on EVOO consumption, always within total fat intake limits. It also proposes working with the public authorities to encourage its presence in hospitals, care homes, school canteens and primary care centres.
The Lisbon Manifesto remains open to new signatories and can be consulted at this link. The second edition of the Olive Oil World Congress thus leaves behind a shared roadmap for strengthening the role of EVOO in food and health policy.
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