The National Plan for the Reduction of Food Loss and Food Waste sets targets that aim to achieve a reduction of up to 20% in food loss and food waste by 2035 and up to 50% by 2050. The plan provides a systemic solution to one of the main failures in Israel‘s food system. Five key actions in the plan: information accessibility, waste regulation, behavioral changes, expanding food rescue, and synchronization and coordination – alongside investment in innovation and the establishment of a national infrastructure for measurement and reporting.
The National Plan for the Reduction of Food Loss and Food Waste will be published on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at the Food Rescuers House in Jerusalem, in the presence of the Minister of Environmental Protection.
Idit Silman, Minister of Environmental Protection: “Israel’s waste revolution continues. We are preventing waste generation at the source. For the first time in Israel, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, together with partners and experts, is proposing a comprehensive plan that will reduce the generation of food waste. The implementation of the plan will require cross-governmental cooperation, and we believe that we can harness all relevant partners to address food waste, which harms society, the environment, and the economy”.
Preventing and reducing food loss and waste are among the most prominent challenges in both the global and Israeli food systems. According to a food loss report by Leket Israel, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health, the total amount of food lost in Israel in 2022 was estimated at about 2.6 million tons, which is approximately 37% of the total local food production. The report also indicated that the direct costs of food loss and waste in Israel were estimated at about 23.1 billion Shekels per year, and that the environmental cost is estimated at about 4 billion Shekels. The majority of the waste occurs among consumers – about 38% of all lost food – followed by agriculture, which is responsible for about 24% of the loss.
The program for the reduction of food loss and food waste is an extension of the work of a joint team from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development that operated within the framework of the National Food Security Program. The program sets targets that aim to achieve a reduction of up to 20% in food loss and food waste by 2035 and up to 50% by 2050.
The formulation of the National Plan for the Reduction of Food Loss and Food Waste was guided by an inter-ministerial committee led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. The process included a literature review and a qualitative analysis of international programs for the reduction of food loss and food waste, concurrently with an extensive consultation process involving approximately 130 stakeholders and experts. The work process included mapping barriers along the food value chain and identifying relevant solutions that were summarized into five key actions:
- Information Accessibility
- Waste Regulation
- Behavioral Change
- Expanding Food Rescue
- Synchronization and Coordination
The actions focus in part on prevention and source reduction of surplus generation, and in part on food rescue. In total, 16 different action channels were mapped under all the actions, along with two cross-cutting action channels: the establishment of a national knowledge and measurement infrastructure, and investment in innovation to reduce food loss and food waste along the food chain.
The action channels recommended by the plan:
- Establishing a comprehensive, regulated, and digital national infrastructure for the collection, measurement, and reporting of data on food loss and food waste in Israel, which will serve as a basis for measuring progress toward the targets
- Creating an interactive agricultural database that will provide an up-to-date snapshot and a forecast of expected supply versus demand
- Developing an application that will allow farmers to report in real time on the generation of surplus produce
- Establishing a dedicated online trading platform that will allow farmers to offer surplus produce for direct sale to the food industry
- Creating regional systems for preventing food loss and food waste, for food rescue, and for public and professional outreach
The investment required for the implementation of all the actions and action channels presented in the full plan is estimated at 220 million ₪ over five years to achieve the plan’s goals under a moderate scenario, or at a cost of 400 million ₪ over five years to achieve the plan’s goals under an advanced scenario.
The full National Plan for the Reduction of Food Loss and Food Waste will be published on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at the Food Rescuers’ House in Jerusalem, in the presence of the Minister of Environmental Protection. To confirm participation in the event (on a space-available basis), please email your full details to the spokesperson’s office of the Ministry of Environmental Protection at the address d@sviva.gov.il.
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