Spain is the healthiest country in the world. This is confirmed by the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, which has granted our country a score of 92.8 out of 100 after having advanced five positions since the last analysis, in 2017, assessing aspects such as eating habits, health system and life expectancy.
In terms of nutrition, Bloomberg highlights the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and the role of extra virgin olive oil in the health of Spaniards, which also influences a lower rate of cardiovascular problems. This is confirmed by the Predimed study, noting that eating habits provide clues about the levels of health enjoyed by Spain, since a “Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts, had a lower rate of cardiovascular events greater than those assigned to a low-fat diet”.
Along with Spain, the Top 10 of the healthiest countries is made up of Italy, Iceland, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Norway and Israel.
In terms of life expectancy, the Bloomberg study confirms that Spain also shows the highest life expectancy at birth among the nations of the European Union, and only Japan and Switzerland overcome it globally. The study also highlights that in Spain for the year 2040 the highest life expectancy is expected, in almost 86 years, followed by Japan, Singapore and Switzerland.
Regarding the health system, Bloomberg values the programs of child health care, women and the elderly, which help reduce cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
Recognized all over the world, extra virgin olive oil is not just one of those known as superfoods. As basis of the Mediterranean Diet, it provides important benefits for our heart.
Extra virgin olive oil is a monounsaturated vegetable fat, the healthiest of all, with important protective properties of the cardiovascular system:
- It decreases the risk of cardiovascular problems.
- It helps reduce and control cholesterol.
- It is an important antioxidant: it helps lipoproteins to be more resistant to oxidation, determining for the development of coronary and vascular diseases.
This is confirmed by the study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School y Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, according to which, to take a Mediterranean Diet rich in olive oil and vegetables -and low in meats and sweets-, allowed to reduce by 25% the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases among the participants, made up of 25.000 American women .
The results of this research, published in the journal JAMA Network, found that participants who followed an average intake of the Mediterranean Diet reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 23%, while those with high consumption of the Mediterranean Diet reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 28%.
Cardiovascular improvement
This study developed in the United States coincides with the conclusions obtained in the Predimed study (Prevention with Mediterranean Diet) carried out in Spain in the period 2013-2016, that confirmed that following a Mediterranean diet helped to reduce by 30% the cardiovascular diseases in the population.
But extra virgin olive oil, as pointed out by the Heart Foundation also brings other added benefits to our hearts:
- Helps prevent atrial fibrillation (the most common of arrhythmias).
- Its polyphenols become an important anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic that help protect the body against arteriosclerosis, responsible for a number of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, angina or myocardial infarction.
The keys of the Mediterranean Diet
Extra virgin olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean Diet. This reference to a healthy diet offers 10 fundamental keys, which, as the Mediterranean Diet Foundation points out, will help us adopt one of the best food models and take care of our hearts.
- Consume foods of vegetable origin in abundance: fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts.
- Include bread and food from cereals (pasta, rice and especially whole products) daily.
- Choosing unprocessed, fresh and seasonal foods are the most appropriate.
- Daily consumption of dairy products.
- Moderate consumption of red meats and, if possible, as part of stews and other recipes.
- Consumption of fish in abundance and eggs in moderation.
- Opt for fresh fruit as desserts.
- Water is the drink par excellence in the Mediterranean. The wine should be taken in moderation and during meals.
- Perform physical activity every day.
- And the most important: use the extra virgin olive oil in the kitchen.
From Goya we are aware of the value and nutritional contribution of extra virgin olive oil as the main support of the Mediterranean Diet. Season your dishes with the unmistakable aroma and authentic taste of our extra virgin olive oils. In our section “La Cocina Goya”, you will find recipes with different ways to include them in your diet, preparing delicious and healthy dishes.
Make known the benefits of extra virgin olive oil as a basis of the Mediterranean Diet. This is one of the objectives of the recent visit that Goya Spain management has made to Goya Puerto Rico. During this visit, the general manager, Antonio Carrasco, together with the Quality Director, Antonio Martín, organized a tasting course for clients and specialized press.
The visit of Goya Spain was collected by different local media. One of them was El Nuevo Día, interviewed the CEO of Goya Spain.
Antonio Carrasco called attention to the “increase in the consumption of extra virgin olive oil, due to the benefits it offers to health”. “All olive oils have the same nutritional value, although polyphenols and antioxidants have only the extra virgin that is the natural juice of the olive and the one with the highest quality,” said Antonio Carrasco.
Likewise, the general manager of Goya Spain announced the launch in this year of Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Robusto”, which together with “Unico” and “Organics”, completes the family of premium extra virgin olive oil.
For the second consecutive edition, the Iberoleum Guide has recognized Goya “Organics” Extra Virgin Olive Oil as the best coupage in Spain for the 2018-2019 campaign.
Likewise, “Organics”, with a total of 95 points, is placed on the podium of honor of the Top 25 of the best extra virgin oils in Spain.
“Being recognized as the best coupage in Spain is the greatest award that a packer can get to their work. For Goya Spain, revalidate this award for the second year, leads us to continue offering an olive oil with the highest quality for our consumers “, stand out from the Sevillian factory.
In the 2019 edition, the Iberoleum Guide tastings were held at the Olivar and Oil Interpretation Center, in Úbeda (Jaen).
As in the 2018 edition, Iberoleum has followed a presentation system in room to the tasters of individual oils, which ensures maximum concentration when evaluating them. Likewise, the computerized profile sheet has been used to avoid errors in the evaluation of the oils.
Brand evangelism is a reference for manufacturers and companies. So that consumers make their friends and family to buy certain products when they recommend and speak positively about the brands they love.
From this base, the company Engagement Labs has created The Most Loved Award given to brands with the highest net sentiment scores online and offline in 2018, where Goya was chosen as the second most loved food brand in the United States and placed among the Top 10 of the most loved brands in the country.
In the ranking of these awards, Engagement Labs has used the TotalSocial® analysis and data platform. This tool measures the social metrics on and off line that are tested for business performance. These metrics assess aspects such as the net feeling (the difference in the percentage of positive conversations less negative about the brand), the brand exchange (the extent to which people share or talk about the marketing or advertising of a brand), volume (a measure of how many conversations mention a brand) and influence (the extent to which an influential audience is talking about a brand).
“Becoming a beloved and enthusiastically recommended brand involves connecting with consumers through purpose-driven storytelling, delivering great experiences, and refreshing the connection through innovative marketing and advertising,” said Ed Keller, CEO of Engagement Labs.
The award obtained by Goya reinforces the closeness that the brand has with consumers who rely on it for their food. This award is added to others already achieved as a food brand most valued by American consumers or as the most beloved brand in Puerto Rico.
Goya Spain has started the year by revalidating the awards and recognitions to the quality of its extra virgin olive oils in awards and international competitions.
Thus, the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition, which in 2019 has reached its 20th edition, has awarded the gold medal to the three premium extra virgin olive oils Goya: Único, Organics and Robusto.
With these awards, Goya Spain reinforces its commitment to bring consumers of the five continents, the best quality extra virgin olive oil of the Mediterranean diet. In the 2018 edition, Goya Organics also won a gold medal, while the Único oil won a silver medal.
The 2019 edition of the International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition, fifth most recognized contest worldwide, has received a total of 530 extra virgin olive oils from 302 producers from Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, Croatia, France, Greece , Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay and the United States.
Goya Foods has announced the construction of a distribution center in Orlando. With these facilities, as reported by El Nuevo Día, Goya Foods will increase its presence in Central Florida, an area that has experienced an exponential growth of hispanic and Puerto Rican population.
The new facilities of Goya, whose works will begin between April and May 2019, will continue until the second quarter of 2020.
Located in the Mid-Florida park, in Apopka, about 30 minutes north of Orlando, the Goya Foods distribution center will have more than 30,000 square meters of storage space and will be one of the reference points in the distribution of Goya products.
BBC news has recently published a report about the origins of Goya Foods in 1936. As Joseph Pérez, vice-president of Goya Foods, points out, it all started when a friend of Mr. Prudencio Unanue offered him to sell a shipment of 500 boxes of sardines from Morocco that came with a label that read “Goya”.
To Prudencio Unuanue – as the BBC says in his report -, “it seemed to him that the name of that label was perfect: simple and easy to pronounce in Spanish and English”. Then he decided that his new business venture would carry that name, convinced that he would achieve his goal. Thus, he bought the brand for US $ 1 to turn it into the largest empire of Latin food in the United States.
Like past year GOYA® “Organics” extra virgin olive oil and Goya vinegars have once again occupied a preferent place in the 2019 edition of the Madrid Fusión Gastronomic Fair, held from January 28 to 30.
Thus, the first day of the show, Fernando Desa, executive chef of Goya Foods, participated in the cooking show “Organics, a new kitchen”. This demonstration presented by Patricia Pérez, included different preparations and recipes with vinegars and “Organics” olive oil, qualified as best coupage of Spain 2018 by the Iberoleum Guide.
Fernando Desa shared the stage with leading Michelin stars and great exponents of international cuisine in a determined bid for organic cuisine.
The stand of Goya, hosted the visit of both the general public and national and international media, who could see on first hand the 2019 catalog of Goya which are included as protagonists its organic products: oil, beans, chickpeas, flavored yogurts, coconut water and its range of quinoa, chia and amaranth.
For the second consecutive year, the Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils “Unico” and “Organics” have revalidated their recognition as Olive Oils 2018 for the World Ranking of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Thus, “Unico” is placed in the Top 5 of the World Ranking, and third refers to Spanish olive oils. For its part, “Organics” EVOO has been placed in ninth place, thus closing the Top 10 of this Ranking of the best oils in the world.
The World Ranking of Olive Oil (EVOO World Ranking), gathers the most awarded Extra Virgin Olive Oils worldwide for consumers, assessing their participation in any of the 30 contests held during 2018 considered by the EVOOWR. These awards are classified by continent and country, with the Mario Solinas Quality Awards from the IOC being one of the most important.
The inclusion of the Premium Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oils in the World Ranking is “the culmination of a year of hard work of the factory in the promotion of extra virgin olive oils to the most demanding consumers worldwide”, confirmed by the management of the Goya factory in Seville, which has achieved the 8th place in the most awarded olive oil companies and has seen how in 2018 its olive oils have been placed in Top 10 from most recognized oils worldwide.
With a total of 884.25 points, the Goya Unico EVOO has achieved a total of 19 recognized awards in the Ranking, among which stand out the gold medals of events such as Terraolivo, Olivinus, Olive Japan, New York Olive Oil 2018, Leone D Oro 2018, and many silver medals and special mentions. On the other hand, the “Organics” extra virgin olive oil, with 746.50 points, has obtained a total of 16 prizes, being a finalist in the Mario Solinas Quality Award.
The recognition “EVOO of the Year – EVOO Of the Year”, is granted annually to a total of 100 extra virgen olive oils worldwide.