Academics Demand Israeli Party Leaders Commit to National Food Security Plan
A coalition of 28 leading Israeli academics and NGO directors has demanded that political party leaders commit to implementing the National Food Security plan, as 27.1% of Israelis face food insecurity.
More than a quarter of Israeli citizens live in a state of food insecurity, while a government plan designed to address the issue has been shelved for a year and a half. Less than two months before the elections for the 26th Knesset, 28 leading academics and organization directors are demanding the plan be revived, sending an official letter to all political party leaders demanding an explicit commitment to implement the recommendations of the National Food Security Council.
The initiative is led by the council's chairman, Professor Asher Alhayani, and the Forum for the Fight Against Poverty, alongside former chairman Professor Roni Strier. Signatories include Professor Nir Ohad (head of the Manna Center for Food Safety at Tel Aviv University), Professor Ronit Endevelt (Haifa University, former head of the Nutrition Department at the Ministry of Health), Professor Elliot Berry (Hebrew University and Hadassah), Professor Nadav Davidovitch (Bar-Ilan University, chairman of the Public Health Forum), Professor Hagai Levine (chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians), Professor Vered Kaufman-Shriqui (Ariel University), Eran Weintrob (CEO of Latet), Gidi Kroch (CEO of Leket Israel), and others.
The Crisis in Numbers
According to National Insurance Institute ("Bituah Leumi") data for 2024, the state of food accessibility in Israel is critical:
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27.1% of Israeli citizens live in food insecurity.
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9.9% of the population suffers from severe food insecurity, meaning they regularly skip meals.
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963,000 households report they cannot afford healthy food due to budget constraints.
The appeal comes eighteen months after the National Food Security Council, a statutory body established by law in 2011, published the National Food Security Blueprint in March 2025. Shortly after the plan was presented to then-Welfare Minister Ya'akov Margi, he resigned, leaving the recommendations unimplemented.
Key Demands for the Next Government
The signatories are demanding a dedicated budget for the National Food Security Project within the Ministry of Welfare, starting at 300 million NIS in the first year and increasing annually, anchored in the ministry's base budget. They also demand that this sum be linked to rising food prices.
Beyond direct funding, the experts demand that the healthy food basket defined by the Ministry of Health be made accessible to the entire population, not just welfare recipients, using all available government tools:
"We must utilize price controls, differential low VAT on basic healthy products, and direct subsidies where necessary to make healthy food affordable for everyone."
In education, they call for the gradual expansion of the school lunch program to middle schools, rather than just elementary schools, alongside reducing the financial burden on low-income municipalities that struggle to co-fund the program.
Structural Reforms and Food Rescue
Additional demands include funding for local municipal food security programs, a national food rescue master plan, and a permanent monitoring and research system to track food insecurity rates among high-risk populations.
Professor Asher Alhayani, Chairman of the National Food Security Council, stated:
"The council was established by law to advise the government, and that is exactly what we did. We submitted a data-driven, budgeted, and feasible plan, yet it remained on paper. We are now turning to anyone who seeks to lead the next government because food insecurity is not a political issue, but a professional problem with an agreed-upon solution. Some of the required funds are literally in the trash; Israel leads Europe in food waste while simultaneously having high rates of food insecurity."
Attorney Becky Cohen-Keshet of the Forum for the Fight Against Poverty added:
'The state established a council by law, asked for a plan, received it, and did nothing with it. We are not approaching the elections with a wish list, but with a document the state itself commissioned. Therefore, we did not ask for vague declarations of support. We asked each candidate specific questions on every clause, and we expect written answers promptly.'
