6 good reasons to buy organic olive oil

Many people have olive oil in their kitchen. The choice in the supermarket is huge because of the wide range of types, brands and varieties of olive oil. We at il circolo make organic olive oil. Organic olive oil means that the environment and animal welfare are taken into account in the production of our olive oil. For example, we do not use chemicals to grow our trees and we harvest our olives by hand. This is very important to us, but why should you buy organic olive oil? It is often more expensive to buy an organic product. Yet there are great advantages to using organic products. Here is a list of reasons why buying organic olive oil is a good idea if you want to contribute to a regenerative food system.

No artificial fertilisers used in the production of organic olive oil

Fertiliser is often used to temporarily add a lot of nutrients to the soil so that crops can grow faster and better. Unfortunately, it is not a panacea and has a bad effect on the soil health of the orchards. Plants can even experience an excess of nutrients which makes the use of fertilizer counterproductive. With organic manure, the nutrients are retained longer and the soil stays healthy. 

No synthetic pesticides and chemicals

Synthetic pesticides and other chemicals are used to combat diseases, insect pests or weeds. However, residues of these pesticides can remain on the fruit. So if olives have been sprayed with chemicals, the residue may end up in the olive oil. At il circolo, we use other tactics to keep out unwanted visitors, such as flies that want to lay their eggs in our olives. We hang pheromone sachets between our trees, which they find very attractive and therefore are no longer interested in our olives. As a result, we do not need pesticides or other synthetic insecticides.

Organic olive oil has health benefits

Although fruit and vegetables  are healthy regardless of whe ther they have an organic label or not, organic products are one step higher on the health ladder. The exact differences vary from product to product, but ample research has been done into the nutrients of organic products. Firstly, you will not find any pesticides in your food if it has an organic label. This already makes for a healthier choice. In addition, organic products often have more vitamin C, minerals and bioactive substances than the conventional varieties. It is important to note that the nutrients in a product also depend on the region it comes from and which varieties have been used for the final product.

No water pollution

By staying away from artificial fertilisers and chemical pesticides, organic farming does not cause water pollution as conventional farming does. The flushing away of the synthetic products, which conventional farmers use, causes pollution of the groundwater and surface water. This polluted water then ends up in rivers, lakes and often eventually the sea. This can have major consequences for the flora and fauna in the vicinity of the fields. Organic production does not leave any bad substances behind in the water that washes away and is therefore not dangerous for other plants and animals in the area.

Organic olive oil is better for biodiversity

With organic farming, all sorts of ways are used to keep the land as natural and healthy as possible. One of the tactics often used is to plant other species between or at the edges of the crops to protect them from insects or to protect the soil. This ensures that there are multiple plants on the piece of land, and not just the one that grows to sell. Thus organic farming promotes biodiversity. A study by Oxford University even found that organic farming has a 30% higher biodiversity than conventional farming.

Organic olive oil is better for animal welfare

In an organic olive grove, you will find more insects, worms and weeds. This allows other animals such as toads, hedgehogs, rodents and also birds to find food. In conventional olive groves in Spain, around 2.6 million birds die every year during the harvest, as well as countless small insects that rest in the trunks and branches of the olive trees and are sucked up by the huge harvesting machines during the harvest. Organic olive oil is harvested less with large machines, but often by hand, as is the case here, which means that supporting small organic olive farmers can already have a major impact on reducing animal mortality.

Buy Sicilian organic olive oil

Curious about organic olive oil? Then you’ve come to the right place. You can find organic extra virgin olive oil and deliciously flavoured olive oil in our webshop. We import the olive oil ourselves from Sicily and can therefore guarantee the best quality. Take a look at our webshop and get to know our products!

Sources:

1. 1. https://www.voedingscentrum.nl 
   2. https://www.milieucentraal.nl/eten-en-drinken/
   3. https://www.allesoverbio.be