LO – Loralai Olives has joined the Lisbon Manifesto on Olive Oil and Health, an initiative launched within the framework of the Olive Oil World Congress (OOWC). Through this commitment, the organisation joins the effort to highlight the available scientific evidence on the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and contribute to its dissemination as part of a healthy diet.

The Manifesto brings together the main scientific evidence on the relationship between extra virgin olive oil consumption and health and calls on governments, international organisations and healthcare systems to strengthen the role of EVOO in food and public health strategies aimed at preventing chronic non-communicable diseases.

Extra virgin olive oil plays a central role in the Mediterranean Diet, one of the dietary patterns with the strongest scientific support in this field. Among the evidence included in the Manifesto is the PREDIMED study, which associated a Mediterranean Diet enriched with EVOO with an approximately 30% reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death. Likewise, the EFSA recognises that olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative damage.

These are some of the findings included in the Lisbon Manifesto, “Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Scientific Evidence for Global Health”, which seeks to strengthen the role of EVOO within a healthy eating (varied, moderate, and balanced), in line with the available scientific evidence.

Launched following the 2026 Olive Oil World Congress, the Manifesto now brings together more than 70 organisations from 19 countries across four continents. The initiative now seeks to move from scientific evidence towards wider dissemination of this knowledge and its consideration in decisions related to food and health.

Signatories include universities and research centres, institutions specialising in nutrition and health, agricultural organisations, industry associations and other entities linked to the olive oil sector, from different countries. The document also has the support of government representatives from Algeria and Pakistan.

The Manifesto also has the backing of the medical and scientific communities. Signatories 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 Foundation for Nutrition (FEN) and the Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA).

From the Manifesto to action

The signatories undertake to bring the content of the document to the national level, presenting it to their respective governments, healthcare systems and competent authorities, as well as to the relevant international organisations, with the aim of contributing to greater dissemination of the scientific evidence on EVOO.

Among the proposals set out in the Manifesto is the review of national and international dietary guidelines to assess the inclusion of specific recommendations on EVOO consumption, always within the limits of total fat intake. It also proposes working with public authorities to promote its presence in hospitals, residential care facilities, school canteens and primary care centres.