The first low-sodium olive is set to hit the UK to tap into the trend for healthier low-salt products. The company behind the olives, Interolivia, said the olives had been two years in development and that it had to design an entirely new production method along the way. It claims they now contain less than 0.12% sodium and are the first to meet EC regulation for low-sodium foodstuffs.

“There are other brands offering olives with salt reduction but none reach the 0.12% limit to be called low-sodium products,” a company spokesman said.