Food Security and Rising Prices

Paraphrased from All Israel News, March 2022

Jewish Family Services has been distributing a grocery gift card grant from a Federal government organization, the Community Food Centres of Canada. This generous grant is being distributed through a Thrifty gift card to families and individuals in need in March and April. With shortages, inflation and higher prices, basic food staples are becoming increasingly difficult to afford for families with children and seniors and many others on fixed or reduced incomes. The gift cards have been incredibly helpful at this time, several families have been overcome with emotion as this has helped them to purchase the food they need for several months.

JFSVI recommends buying non perishables in larger amounts at wholesale stores like Costco or other discount retailers like Canadian Super Store to avoid sticker shock as many items are predicted to jump in price. Experts fear that a protracted conflict in Ukraine could dramatically undermine production and supplies of grain and other crucial food products. A supply crisis could drive food prices up as much as 20%. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of the world’s wheat and barley exports. Commodities likely to be most affected are wheat, maize, edible oils, and fertilizers.

The Israeli food industry is heavily reliant on Ukrainian supplies and imports almost half of its wheat from Ukraine. Jerusalem’s reliance on Ukraine extends to corn products, barley and soybeans, as well as feed for cows, chickens and turkeys. Israel stands out among developed nations for its proportionally high number of citizens defined as poor. Some 1.9 million Israelis – more than 20% of the total population – and almost one third of all Israeli children, reportedly live in poverty, according to an Israeli National Insurance Institute report published in December.

Food insecurity and prices had been rising in Israel even prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, largely due to the devastating economic impact of successive lockdowns that ruined many Israeli small businesses during COVID-19.