What does the Report discuss?
The 2023–2024 Food Waste and Rescue Report, published for the ninth consecutive year by Leket Israel and BDO, was produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health.
The Report aims to serve as a foundation for public discourse on the issue of food waste and to support the formulation of national policy measures to effectively address food loss and promote food rescue in Israel.
The impact of the Swords of Iron War highlights the urgent need to examine its effects on food loss, food insecurity, and the economic feasibility of food rescue efforts under these new circumstances.
Food insecurity is a chronic issue in Israel. However, the annual Report reveals a troubling picture of food waste: in 2023 alone, 2.6 million tons of food were lost, valued at NIS 24.3 billion—an effective increase of 3% compared to the previous year. Food loss now represents 1.3% of Israel’s GDP and accounts for 38% of all food produced in the country.
The war added an economic loss of NIS 1.6 billion during its first nine months (through the end of June 2024), including approximately NIS 1 billion from direct food loss, NIS 200 million in environmental damage, and NIS 370 million in health-related costs due to the rise in food insecurity.
Israeli agriculture was particularly hard-hit, with 32% of the country’s agricultural land located in conflict zones in the north and south. A sharp decline in the number of foreign agricultural workers—down by as much as 59% in the war’s early months—resulted in the loss of 228,000 tons of produce, food that could have fed hundreds of thousands of families during this critical time.
The combination of routine food waste, the rising number of people experiencing food insecurity, and the growing number of families falling into poverty underscores the urgent need for food rescue as a policy tool. This includes transferring rescued food to vulnerable populations—even more essential in times of crisis.
The annual publication of this Report consistently demonstrates the high economic, social, environmental, and health value of food rescue. Its immediate impact lies in its ability to reduce food insecurity using just a quarter of the cost, while also promoting sustainability by conserving natural and production resources and reducing emissions and pollutants.
What is the issue of food waste?
Food waste refers to food that was intended for human consumption and for a variety of reasons was spoiled or wasted or not consumed. Food waste occurs at all stages of the food supply chain, from production, storage, packaging and processing stages to retail and consumption.
The current Report, based on data from 2023 and the first half of 2024, reveals a staggering 2.6 million tons of food lost. The value of this wasted food is NIS 24.3 billion, with about half—worth NIS 8.6 billion—being rescuable and fit for consumption.
What are the report’s main conclusions?
The Report includes a comprehensive analysis of the scale and types of food waste and loss in Israel, the rescue potential at each stage of the food value chain, the environmental costs of food loss, and the health implications and excess healthcare expenditures resulting from food insecurity.
Key findings demonstrate the strong economic case for food rescue:
Every shekel invested in food rescue yields NIS 3.6 in direct food value.
When including environmental benefits, this value increases to NIS 4.2.
When factoring in health benefits, the return grows to NIS 10.3 per shekel invested.
The current crisis—Israel’s most significant to date—underscores the critical importance of ensuring food security for all citizens, and especially for vulnerable populations. Now more than ever, we cannot afford to waste good, nutritious, healthy food.
Policy Recommendations
Based on the findings, the Report recommends two central policy steps:
Establishing a national target for reducing food loss.
Creating an inter-ministerial task force to develop a national food rescue plan. This plan would include mechanisms for distributing rescued food to families in need, with the support of professional nutritional guidance.
We hope the Report’s findings, the policy tools adopted in other developed countries, and the proposed recommendations will highlight the urgent need for government action and recognition of food rescue as a national priority. Food rescue has the potential to assist the 1.5 million food-insecure people in Israel, as well as the tens of thousands who have newly joined their ranks.
Leket Israel will continue to advocate to decision-makers to adopt the Report’s conclusions and recommendations and to implement a national plan that will bring meaningful change to how food waste and rescue are addressed in Israel.