More than USD 6 billion worth of food wasted each year in Israel

Tel Aviv [Israel]: Israel’s Ministry of the Environment reported that about 23 billion Shekels (USD 6.22 billion) worth of food is wasted every year in Israel. 

The ministry also reported that 1.4 million people in Israel live with food insecurity in that their economic situation does not guarantee a healthy diet. 

The excess health cost to Israel’s economy due to food insecurity in the country in 2022 was 5.2 billion Shekels (USD 1.4 billion), which was about 5% of the national health expenditures. 

The economic damage to Israel’s economy caused by the war in Gaza including the tens of thousands of families who were evacuated from their homes, said the ministry, will lead to a “real worsening of food insecurity among needy populations.” 

Also, 2.6 million tonnes of food will be lost in 2022 since about 30% of Israel’s agricultural land is in the Gaza area on the conflict line. The war leads to a further increase in the loss of food in agriculture due to a lack of working hands and access restrictions to agricultural areas. 

Food loss also has a high environmental cost. In 2022, 2.6 million tons of food were thrown away in Israel (along the entire value chain from the farmer to the end consumers). The environmental cost of food loss is estimated at approximately 3.9 billion Shekels (USD 1.05 billion) per year. 

Food waste is about a third of the volume of household waste in Israel, and food loss in Israel is responsible for 6% of greenhouse gas emissions in Israel. Reducing the loss of food will make it possible to save many resources of energy, water, and land, will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants into the air, and will also reduce waste treatment costs.