JERUSALEM, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry announced in a statement on Monday the launch of the country’s first national plan to reduce food loss and waste.
Developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the plan sets targets to cut food loss and waste by 20 percent by 2035 and by 50 percent by 2050.
It focuses on five main areas: improving access to information, updating waste regulations, changing consumer behavior, expanding food rescue, and improving coordination.
The plan also includes investment in innovation and the creation of a national system to measure and report food waste.
According to a national report, Israel lost around 2.6 million tonnes of food in 2023, about 38 percent of local food production.
The direct cost was estimated at 23.1 billion shekels (about 6.95 billion U.S. dollars), with an environmental cost of 4.1 billion shekels.
