Feeling stressed? Wolt launches a surprising new category for emotional eating

The ongoing conflict, which began with the tragic events of October 7, has continued for more than a year, marked by a constant stream of news that seems never-ending. Israeli citizens are deeply affected, with hostages held in Gaza, northern residents displaced, and IDF soldiers stationed in Gaza and southern Lebanon. This relentless situation has had a direct impact on the national anxiety levels and mental well-being of the Israeli public.

These challenging times may drive many of us toward emotional eating. Whether we realize it or not, eating habits have changed for many since that dark day. Emotional eating, by definition, involves overeating in response to negative emotions and stressors such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, and more. In these situations, eating can become an attempt to manage and ease emotions, but it often leaves a lingering sense of guilt or shame.

Recent events, including the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the subsequent protests, and the U.S. elections that returned Donald Trump to office, led Amir Barkol to share a humorous suggestion with his 40,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter). He semi-seriously proposed a new category for the popular delivery app: "The fact that Wolt hasn’t launched an emotional eating category in the last 24 hours is a massive marketing miss."

Surprisingly, Wolt didn’t ignore the tweet. Instead, they took the bold step of launching a new category titled “Feeling the Need for an Emotional Munch?” featuring a range of restaurants offering comfort foods for the times. They even went the extra mile by sending Barkol a box of cookies, accompanied by a note that read, “Munchies are something not to be taken lightly,” thanking him for the inspiration.

יפה מאוד וולט, יפה מאוד pic.twitter.com/8inmNltWjc

— Amir Barkol (@BarkolAmir) November 6, 2024

Since the launch of the new category, Wolt has reported a surge in orders for comfort foods, particularly during nighttime hours. According to Wolt, the most popular items in this category include ice cream, boxes of warm cookies, sambusak, toast, malabi, and knafeh.