SALT LAKE CITY — This time last year, the cost of eggs and chicken was at its highest price point yet.
“We’re not dealing with some of the same crises that we had last year,” said Dave Davis, CEO and president of the Utah Food Industry Association.
Davis said those costs were influenced by the 2022 avian flu breakout.
For now, he said the only thing you should worry about is the holiday food rush.
“If you think that you’re going to go in just a day or two before Christmas, grab a turkey or a ham, you need to be careful about that,” he said.
But there’s another item on the grocery shelf slowly becoming more expensive: extra virgin olive oil.
“Our prices of the goods have gone up, but they’ve been relatively stable compared to what a lot of people are seeing in the other marketplaces,” said Jessica McCleary.
McCleary is the owner of Mountain Town Olive Oil in Park City. Her Main Street business is a gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar store with over fifty different flavors.
Record-breaking temperatures in Europe have depleted the production of extra virgin olive oil.
“Spain produces about 1.4 million tons of olive oil every year,” explained McCleary. “In the last two seasons, they’ve produced less than half of that.”
The drought is causing an uptick in prices and fake olive oil. McCleary said 60-70% of what’s imported into the U.S. isn’t even authentic.
“That means a little extra virgin olive oil, topped with some canola oil, seed oils that are flavored and treated to taste like olive oil,” she said.
Everything is 100% real and tested in McCleary’s store, but she wants to advise Utahns what they could be putting into their bodies for the cost of a cheaper price.
