Food loss and waste in Israel pose a significant economic, social, and environmental challenge: each year, approximately 2.6 million tons of food—about 37% of local production—are discarded, at a cost exceeding 23 billion NIS. This is accompanied by the waste of natural resources and increased pollutant emissions. At the same time, more than 2 million Israelis live in food insecurity. The National Food Loss and Waste Reduction Plan was formulated through broad cooperation between government ministries, local authorities, the private sector, the third sector, agriculture, and academia, and is founded on principles of coordinated governmental action, cross-sector partnership, and adoption of the food waste management hierarchy.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection led the development of the national program, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, with professional support from the Environment and Energy Cluster at Samuel Neaman Institute.
The plan recommends five groups of actions: improving access to information, waste regulation, behavioural change, expanding food rescue, and synchronization and coordination, alongside investment in innovation and systematic monitoring. The goal is to reduce food loss and waste and enhance food security, the economy, and the environment in Israel.
For plan documents, see the Ministry of Environmental Protection website.
