For some, choosing olive oil is all in the numbers.

Last week I received an invitation from the Oleocanthal Society of Spain to attend a conference in Malaga next summer.

I probably receive twenty proposals a year to attend such gatherings of researchers, usually with airfare and expense accommodations. I almost never go.

Once in a while, I’ll open the conference program attached to the invitation to find that I’m already listed as a speaker on the schedule. And this is from scientists whose job is to establish facts.

This one is called “Second Health Matters Convention on EVOO, Phenols, Fatty Acids and the Mediterranean Diet.” It might not be the most compelling title, but the hotel looks fine.

I get it that researchers have grant money they need to spend, and a few days of roundtable discussions on the Costa del Sol is bound to yield scientific breakthroughs, but I’ll be passing on this one, too.

The conference coincides with a competition called the “The World’s Best Healthy EVOO Contest” -- another showstopper of a title.

The contest ranks entries based on their content of “biophenols, oleocanthal and fatty acids,” according to their website, in contrast to the taste tests by sensory experts employed by most international competitions, including the NYIOOC.