For the 5th consecutive year, the World Olive Center for Health, in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, announces the results of the international competition Olympia Health & Nutrition Awards 2020.
It rewards producers who produce olive oil that meets the requirements of the European Regulation 432/2012 and therefore obtains a health claim.
This European Regulation was created by the European Food Safety Authority, when in 2012 it officially recognized the positive effect of polyphenols on oxidative stress, through the Health Claim included in European Regulation 432/2012. It explicitly states that "Olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress."
A basic requirement in the European Health Claim 432/2012 is the daily intake of 20 grams of olive oil which contains at least 5 mg of specific polyphenols (minimum concentration limit 250 mg / kg).
It is noted that polyphenols are substances that naturally occur in olive oil and are formed from early compounds contained in the olive fruit. Oleocanthal and Oleacin are the main polyphenols, found in significant amounts in olive oils with health claims, which have been attributed with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and neuroprotective properties. Olive oils that contain phenols (or polyphenols) are called high phenolic olive oils.
A total of 1278 olive oil samples participated in the Olympia Health & Nutrition Awards 2020, either from Greece or from the other seven olive oil producing countries that participated. Awards were given to producers that submitted at least one sample of olive oil with a health claim during the current season 2019-2020.
Due to the high content of phenolic ingredients in their organic olive oils, the organic olive oils of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms were honored for the 5th consecutive year with 3 top awards for their 3 organic olive oils that participated. The olive oils of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, exceeding the limit of the European Regulation by 4 times, were awarded as follows:
FYLLIKON First Harvest - GOLD Award -Concentration of polyphenols > 1000mg/ kg
AGOURELAIO Early Harvest - GOLD Award - Concentration of polyphenols> 1000mg / kg
ARMONIA Monovarietal - Silver Award - Concentration of polyphenols > 750mg / kg
The olive oils that were awarded are the Fyllikon First Harvest EVOO, the Early Harvest Agourelaio EVOO and the monovarietal Armonia EVOO, while all 3 olive oils belong to the category of organic, cold extracted, monovarietal extra virgin olive oils.
It is a great honor to have scientific confirmation of the positive effect of our organic olive oils on human health for the fifth consecutive year. These awards constitute 147 international awards for Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, a record number for a Greek producer of exclusively their own olive products (Single Estate producer).
