UN Report 2021: Consumer Food Waste is Significantly Higher than Previous Estimates
Policy Recommendations for Reducing Food Waste and Promoting Food Rescue
The Case for Food Rescue
Over the past decade, Leket Israel’s National Food Waste and Rescue Reports have consistently highlighted the strong economic, health, social, and environmental benefits of food rescue. International policy reviews and best practices for reducing food waste, alongside growing recognition of the health benefits of providing nutritious, rescued food, underscore the need to treat food rescue as a key national policy tool.
Economically: Food rescue illustrates a clear case of market failure. At current market prices, rescuing surplus food may not seem financially viable for producers or distributors. However, when its full economic value is considered, including the nutritional benefits it provides and the opportunity cost of letting edible food go to waste, food rescue emerges as a highly cost-effective solution for the broader economy.
Socially: Donating rescued food to those in need helps reduce inequality and improve food security among the country’s most vulnerable populations.
Healthwise: Providing healthy, rescued food to individuals facing food insecurity who may otherwise lack access to adequate nutrition directly improves health outcomes and leads to long-term savings in healthcare costs.
Environmentally: Food rescue conserves critical resources such as energy, water, land, and chemicals, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and the volume of waste sent to landfill.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations defines food waste as: “the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by retailers, food service providers, and consumers.”
The UN Food Waste Index cites findings from the Food Waste and Rescue in Israel Report by Leket Israel, the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, and BDO.
The United Nations set a Sustainable Development Goal of reducing global food waste per capita by 50% by 2030. Toward this end, they developed the Food Waste Index (73). This complements the FAO’s Food Waste Index, which primarily addresses food waste in the agriculture, sorting, packaging, and industrial processing stages.
1. The National Plan to Reduce Food Loss and Waste
In September 2025, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and guided by an inter-ministerial committee, released a National Plan to Reduce Food Loss and Waste. This marks the first time that the State of Israel has adopted a comprehensive, system-wide approach to addressing food loss and waste in the country. The plan expands upon and formalizes the food waste section of the National Food Security Program, which also included working groups focused on local agriculture, the food industry, trade and international cooperation, research and innovation, and food baskets and consumption habits. The plan defines 16 action channels, organized under five strategic initiatives.
Three of these channels focus on prevention and reduction of food waste by:
- Improving access to information
- Waste regulation
- Behavioral change
While the other two focus on food rescue, through:
- Expanding food rescue operations
- Enhancing coordination and synchronization
The plan sets food loss and waste reduction targets under two scenarios:
Moderate scenario: 25%
reduction in food loss and waste by 2050; rescue of 10% of the food currently lost or wasted
Advanced scenario: 50% reduction in food loss and waste by 2050; rescue of 19% of the food currently lost or wasted
The National Plan marks a significant and promising step toward addressing food loss and waste in Israel. It holds real potential to drive meaningful change, but only if it is formally adopted by the government and backed with sufficient funding. Implementing the plan’s core components between 2026 and 2030 will require a government investment of NIS 220m (USD $60m). With effective execution, this investment is expected to make a substantial impact in reducing food insecurity and should be viewed as a strategic, cost-effective investment in the nation’s well-being.
In the meantime, food rescue efforts must not wait for the plan’s official adoption. As Israel’s population grows, so too do levels of food production and waste. Expanding food rescue in the short term is critical. At present, food rescue in Israel depends almost entirely on nonprofit organizations, supported by private donations and surplus contributions from businesses and farmers. Meanwhile, farmers, who are the largest donors of rescued food, face ongoing challenges related to low profitability and economic instability. To scale up food rescue efforts, direct government support is essential. This includes launching grants, tenders, and targeted funding programs to support the distribution of rescued food. In addition, introducing tax incentives for food donations could help close the economic gap and encourage broader participation, ultimately expanding both the volume and impact of food rescue nationwide.
2. A Plan to Reduce Food Loss During Emergencies
The Swords of Iron War underscored the importance of food security as a pillar of national resilience, and highlighted the urgent need for sustained government support to reduce food loss and promote food rescue during times of crisis.
The war’s severe impact on the agricultural sector, resulting in the loss of produce worth hundreds of millions of shekels and contributing to rising food prices, demonstrated the need for a long-term government policy to strengthen domestic food production and reduce dependence on imports.
In recent years, Israeli farmers have been operating in a highly complex and challenging environment shaped by a combination of economic, climatic, and structural pressures. Infrastructure costs, including water, fertilizers, energy, and labor, continue to rise, while market prices for produce remain volatile and often fail to reflect actual production costs. At the same time, climate change is bringing more frequent and extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods, which destabilize crop yields and increase risks for producers. These challenges are compounded by inadequate infrastructure, complex regulations, and growing competition from subsidized imports, all of which erode the sector’s profitability. As a result, many farmers are forced to operate with minimal profit margins, facing persistent economic and planning uncertainty.
To prevent future crises, we recommend implementing a dedicated national plan that enables rapid response during emergencies. This plan should include support mechanisms to strengthen the agricultural sector, including increased investment in innovative technologies, logistical infrastructure, and incentives to reduce food loss and waste. Additionally, a formalized agricultural volunteer corps, similar to a civilian reserve model, should be developed to allow for the rapid mobilization of labor during times of crisis. Such a model would ensure the availability of agricultural manpower during emergencies and help prevent the loss of critical produce.
The state should also establish a stable, multi-year policy framework that enables farmers to recover, maintain stable prices, and reinforce national food security. Consistent support for the agricultural sector will not only help address future crises but also promote the development of sustainable agriculture that serves the Israeli economy in the long term.
This recommendation aligns with the State Comptroller’s Report on Ensuring Israel’s Food Needs in Emergencies, published in October 2025, which emphasized the need for an emergency plan based on lessons learned from the Swords of Iron War, particularly regarding food security in Israel.
3. Advancing Emerging Legislation and the Need for Regulatory Frameworks to Prevent Food Loss
Reducing food loss and waste in Israel requires a clear legislative framework that encourages food rescue and prevents the destruction of edible food. The National Plan for Reducing Food Loss and Waste recommends reviewing several legislative initiatives, including a mandatory food donation law, amendments to extend the shelf life of non-perishable raw materials, and legislation to impose a levy on food waste.
In addition to these proposals, there is a need to finalize existing legislative processes and promote broader regulatory frameworks that can offer long-term solutions to food waste reduction and improved food security.
Among the key bills still awaiting approval is the Customs Ordinance Amendment Bill (Prohibition on the Destruction of Goods Under Customs), 2023. This bill aims to prevent the destruction of edible food that has been confiscated or is subject to customs, and instead redirect it to welfare authorities and nonprofit organizations for distribution to those in need. If adopted, this legislation would establish an important mechanism for salvaging consumable goods that are currently discarded due to legal and regulatory barriers.
Another proposal is the Income Tax Ordinance Amendment Bill (Tax Credit for Food Donations), 2023, which seeks to grant tax credits to businesses that donate food instead of destroying it. Implementing such an incentive mechanism would encourage commercial entities, importers, and food producers to increase the volume of food donations, while reducing the high financial losses caused by food waste each year.
These legislative initiatives represent a first step toward regulating the field; however, a broader regulatory policy is needed. Such a policy should include additional economic incentives, oversight of surplus food management, and accessible mechanisms to make it easier for businesses to donate food to appropriate recipients, as recommended in the National Plan. A combination of legislation and clear regulation is crucial to making food waste reduction a binding norm and building the infrastructure needed to manage Israel’s food resources efficiently.
4. Additional Recommendations
- Adopt innovation and artificial intelligence in food rescue operations – Promote the use of advanced technologies and AI across the entire food rescue chain—from farmers to consumers—to enhance surplus forecasting, optimize logistics and distribution, and improve overall system efficiency in reducing food loss and waste.
- Engage the younger generation – Working with younger populations is one of the most effective ways to shape long-term consumption habits and reduce food waste. The importance of consistent, early-age education underscores the central role of the Ministry of Education and the need to integrate food waste prevention into the national school curriculum.
