Israel's rate of wasting food sharply increased during war

Tel Aviv, March 31: Israel's national food bank, Leket (collection) Israel and BDO reported that the war in Gaza increased the scope of food waste in Israel by an additional 1.6 billion Shekels (USD 430 million), which is flowing out of the public's pockets. Their report for 2023 and half of 2024 reveals the extent of food loss and the consequences of the Iron Sword War on food security.

During 2023, 2.6 million tons of food were lost, worth 24.3 billion Shekels (USD 6.52 billion). This is an effective increase of 3 per cent compared to the previous year, with food loss currently accounting for 1.3 per cent of the national GDP and reaching 38 per cent of all food produced in Israel.

(BDO is an international professional services network of public accounting, tax, consulting and business advisory firms headquartered in Zaventem, Belgium.)

Israeli agriculture was seriously affected, as 32 per cent of Israel's agricultural land is in the conflict zones in the south and north. The sharp decline in the number of foreign workers, which reached 59 per cent in the first months of the war, caused the loss of 228,000 tons of agricultural produce. This is food that could have fed hundreds of thousands of families during this critical period.

Behind the dry numbers lies a harsh reality - 1.5 million Israelis currently live in food insecurity, up from 1.4 million in 2022. This number is expected to rise sharply due to the ongoing security and economic situation, said Leket. (ANI/TPS)