Israel’s prolonged conflict has produced an internal crisis that receives far less attention than its military or diplomatic fallout: a deepening problem of food insecurity. According to estimates compiled by Israeli food-security organisations, nearly 39 per cent of food produced or consumed in the country is wasted, a systemic failure that cost the economy around 26 billion shekels (approximately $7 billion) in 2024 alone.

The scale of waste stands in stark contrast to rising deprivation. Roughly 1.5 million people in Israel now experience food insecurity, even as surplus food is discarded across supply chains. Over the past decade, cumulative losses from food waste have crossed 211 billion shekels, draining household welfare and public resources alike (National Insurance Institute of Israel).

In macroeconomic terms, food waste in 2024 alone accounted for nearly 1.3 per cent of Israel’s GDP, while the average household discarded food worth close to $2,900 annually. These figures underline how inefficiency and inequality have come to coexist within the same economic system.

Food insecurity is not merely a question of hunger. Israeli health and welfare assessments estimate annual health and environmental costs exceeding $2.7 billion, driven by malnutrition, stress-related illness, and the environmental impact of large-scale waste.

The war has sharply intensified these pressures. Labour shortages in agriculture, caused by mass mobilisation and restrictions on Palestinian and foreign workers, have disrupted planting and harvesting cycles. As a result, fruit and vegetable prices have risen, pushing fresh food further out of reach for low-income households.

READ: Poverty grips nearly 2 million in Israel, report finds

Even before the current........

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