European oils and fats market valued at €33bn

The European oils and fats market is worth more than €33bn but is barely growing in value terms, according to a new report from Food For Thought.

The market researcher examined the oils and fats market in 22 European and East European countries, covering butter, other dairy spreads, margarine, other non-dairy spreads, olive oil, other edible oils, and cooking fats.

Olive oil accounts for about a third of the market, followed by dairy products, the report found, with cooking fats representing the smallest segment.

“Cooking fats has been declining sharply over the past 5 years and the fastest relative growth has been recorded in olive oils,” FFT said.

Own label is also important in the oils and fats market, representing about 21% of aggregate sales, while the top eight players account for 35% of market value, dominated by Unilever.