Israelis expected to waste one quarter of all food bought for Passover

Despite the high cost of living in Israel, residents are expected to spend a staggering NIS 7.8b on food during the upcoming Passover holiday, and they’re expected to waste nearly 25% of it.

According to a recent study conducted by Leket Israel and BDO, a total of 250,000 tons of food, valued at NIS 1.9b, is expected to go unused during Passover, as individual households are expected to spend an average of NIS 3,000 on food for the Passover holiday, of which NIS 400 will likely be discarded.

The high expenditure on food and its subsequent waste is a significant contributor to the high cost of living in Israel. According to Leket Israel, the overall impact of food waste on the cost of living is an additional NIS 6,900 per household, per year.

“Unfortunately, once again with the upcoming holiday, this data speaks for itself. More and more families are unable to make ends meet at the end of the month and this Passover, the gap will grow even wider,” said Gidi Kroch, CEO of Leket Israel, who went on to emphasize the importance of implementing a national food rescue strategy.

“Food rescue contributes to the reduction of waste and enhances nutritional security, thereby reducing the disparities in Israeli society at the quarter of the price of the cost of buying food, " he said.

Food waste soars but no solution is found

In November, Leket submitted a Food Waste and Rescue report to the new government, which outlined various possible courses of action to reduce the amount of food wasted in the country, but its recommendations have gone unheeded.

“Despite the numerous proposals Leket has brought before decision-makers, which provide practical, immediate, and effective solutions, it is clear that the government is not interested in solving the problem of food insecurity. The government is not fulfilling its basic duties to its citizens to care for its citizens’ safety and security from all aspects,” said Kroch.

“While some will have the privilege of spending the holiday with families, hundreds of thousands of Israelis will not be able to celebrate Passover with dignity. Until the government steps up and takes responsibility, we at Leket Israel will continue to work, day and night, to benefit all the vulnerable populations in Israel,” he said.

“This is all thanks to the generous donations from hundreds of farmers, cooked food donors and tens of thousands of volunteers.”

When Leket submitted its report in November, it was revealed that Israel is the worst in enacting food waste solutions, having implemented the fewest number of policy tools to eradicate this phenomenon out of 18 other developed OECD countries.

Then-environment minister Tamar Zandberg referenced the report in November, stating: “Food rescue and minimizing food waste are necessary actions that need to be taken to preserve Israel’s environmental, social and economic resilience. It is critical that the State of Israel bridge gaps to align with other OECD countries addressing the issue of food waste and rescue.”