Millions of tons of food are thrown away in Israel every year, which affects food security - especially in times of crisis such as war. So how do you create nutritional resilience? Stop wasting food
Have you ever thought what happens to those too soft peppers on the shelf in the supermarket, that no one buys? Or that cottage you decided not to buy, because its expiration date is already approaching? Millions of tons of food are thrown away in Israel, and this year the day to reduce food loss (or for short - "Zamboz"), which was observed on March 12, took on a slightly different meaning. The "Iron Swords" war undermined our security in many ways, including our nutritional resilience, which aims to ensure the availability of food for all citizens of the country during normal days in general and during times of crisis in particular. We saw this when local agriculture was damaged and retailers warned of a possible shortage of vegetables: the war sharpens the need for food security - and reducing food waste is one of the solutions to this.
Every year, the Leket Israel organization publishes, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, You The duo״ח the annual about the loss of food in Israel, and the astronomical numbers increase year by year. The data is not encouraging: in 2022, the food that was lost was 2.6 million tons, estimated to be worth about 23 billion NIS, of which edible food was thrown away - worth about 8 billion NIS.
Israel is not alone; The data from around the world indicate an alarming phenomenon of wasting huge amounts of food - according to the report of the United Nations Environment Program in 2019 were thrown In the world כ-931 one million tons של מזון, 61 percent of which came from households and the rest from food and catering retailers. This has major consequences for the environment; The assessments they between 10-8 percentage Magazi the greenhouse The global ones - which are responsible, among other things, for global warming and the worsening of the climate crisis - originate from food that is not consumed and thrown away.
Crisis on the plate
Periods of crisis such as war put the food security of countries at risk, and at the same time disasters nature that their frequency and their strength Going and up as a result from a crisis the climate There is a need to take care of food sources that rely, among other things, on local production. "The corona demonstrated to us how in times of crisis countries shut themselves down and do not export food so that there are no shortages for their population," says Dr. Michal Bitterman, CEO and one of the founders of the organization The Natural Step Israel. "On the other hand, there are countries that rely on imports, so that in times of emergency, the population experiences shortages, and the Iron Swords War proved to us once again the vulnerability of our food system."
According to her, the current war shows how trade relations have an impact on our lives - attacks by the Houthis on cargo ships and the decrease in flights harm the transportation of goods, which leads, among other things, to shortages and price increases. "Within three years we experienced two upheavals - a global epidemic and a war," she says. "Our food system is not immune, and this is something that the State of Israel does not take into account enough - both in times of peace and in times of crisis." According to Bitterman, it seems that even these days the political echelon continues to ignore the need to strengthen the food system, partly in light of the transfer of the state budget which cut the funds intended for the Ministry of Agriculture.
Local agriculture is the mainstay of the food system in normal times and even more so in emergency situations. The war that broke out on the seventh of October hurt at all agriculture the Israeli one, and in the north and in the envelope in particular - The loss of manpower and the inability to cultivate the land and harvest the produce on time caused many economic damages to the farmers. "In Israel we have a developed agricultural system with a large variety of produce," says Bitterman. "The state should prioritize agriculture and local production over importing products that we grow here." According to her, the decision-makers must take care of the correct prioritization and preservation of the capabilities of Israeli agriculture by strengthening the farmers who want to engage in this profession, the sale of their produce and no less important - to make sure that the system is effective by reducing the agricultural produce that is thrown away.
On robustness and other vegetables
Besides strengthening local agriculture, reducing food loss also plays an important role in building nutritional resilience in times of crisis. "We throw away a third of the food we produce, both in the agricultural segment and in the manufacturing segment in the various food factories," says Bitterman. According to her, instead of producing more food or looking for innovative solutions to strengthen food security, the simple answer is proper management of resources. "Reducing food waste in the production phase will encourage intelligent and maximum use of what already exists, and this is what will lead to streamlining and strengthening the food system."
In addition, according to Bitterman, saving the wasted third will make the food system more resilient. "In the environmental aspect, we waste less resources such as land, energy, water and fuels for transportation, which are very polluting and cost us a lot of money," she says. "From a social point of view, the amount of resources required to save lost food and transfer it to needy populations is enormous - instead we can reduce food waste, and the billions we saved to invest in nutrition programs that will help bridge the social gaps."
Moreover, according to her, at the national level, the economic savings are twofold - instead of growing more food and wasting the resources involved in that, costs can be saved by reducing the lost food. "In the nutritional aspect, relying on local food and fresh produce is important nutritionally because we prioritize healthy food," she says.
The journey that the strawberry goes through
Bitterman explains that private households also have the potential to save a great deal of money if they only use what they need. According to her, a quarter of the food basket that the average Israeli buys at the supermarket is thrown away. Now think about the amount of the monthly food purchase and subtract a quarter from it - it is not only your food that is thrown away, but also the money. In addition, those who volunteered in agriculture after the war remember the arduous work, so that every vegetable or fruit that was picked went through a journey before it reached us, the consumers, and the least we can do is not rush to throw this food away. How else can we help? when it is possible to prioritize buying local produce; choose vegetables and fruits that look strange or less beautiful; Buy only the amount we need, and make creative use of the foods we have in the fridge - so that soft strawberries can become excellent jam and a "tired" tomato will come to life in a heartbeat.
According to Bitterman, there are quite a few strategic measures that the state can adopt that will help reduce food waste in the production phase: for example, prioritizing local agriculture over imports, labeling local produce, and developing an assistance program for farmers that will help them sell directly to the consumer without intermediaries. The economy also plays an important role in reducing food waste during the sale and consumption phase, and can offer various options to help marketers and consumers become more efficient: for example, a ban on throwing away food that is still edible, Pricing dynamic של PRODUCTS - that is, towards the expiration date to lower their prices, which will also help lower the personal cost of living of the consumers, and encourage farmers not to leave produce in the fields by selling even the produce that looks less beautiful.
If so, the road to food security begins with focusing on what we already have - developed agriculture, fresh local food and diverse and rich produce. Reducing food waste in the production and consumption stages will greatly benefit the Israeli economy and help maintain nutritional stability, in general and in times of crisis in particular. "Conserving resources and using them wisely will benefit the resilience of food systems, which are an acute factor in maintaining economic, social and nutritional independence," concludes Bitterman.
A response was sent from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development You offered a decision to the government On the subject formation Program National level for security מזון.
No response was received from the Ministry of Finance.
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