Food rescue is 4 times more effective than cash assistance to the poor.
Israel loses about 26 billion shekels each year due to food waste – or 6.633 billion euros.
Economist Hen Herzog stated that, according to the annual food loss report, on average, each family "throws away" about 900 shekels a month, and these losses occur not only at home but also at other stages of the supply chain – in agriculture, logistics, and retail.
Discussion participants noted that the issue of food waste is directly related to the "food basket" and the rising cost of living: losses in the system ultimately reflect on the final price for consumers, as well as on the costs to the state and businesses for disposal and recycling.
Earlier, in November 2025, the organization "Leket Israel" published data indicating that over ten years, from 2015 to 2024, food worth a total of 211 billion shekels was wasted in Israel. Although the amount of food wasted per capita decreased (from 300 kg in 2015 to 260 kg in 2024), population growth led to an increase in the total volume of waste – from 2.5 million tons to 2.6 million tons per year.
The report also noted that the rise in food prices, outpacing inflation, increased the "cost" of wasted food: from 18 billion shekels in 2015 to 26.2 billion shekels in 2024 – a figure comparable to estimates presented at the "Calcalist" conference.
The authors of the report and discussion participants indicated that reducing food loss is seen as one of the practical tools for alleviating the burden on households and combating food insecurity – through the development of initiatives for "rescuing" products and more efficient logistics.
Mr. Herzog, chief economist at the Tel Aviv consulting firm BDO, says that from an economic perspective, rescuing food is much more cost-effective than allocating funds for the needs of the needy.
Herzog explained that for every shekel given to the needy, one can buy food for one shekel, whereas the government investing the same shekel in promoting food rescue would cost 4 shekels in food security projects.
According to him, promoting food rescue "is a measure that is four times more effective than social welfare policy and direct support for the needy."
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