By Katharina Hoeftmann Ciobotaru
Another measure to lower the cost of living in Israel has been introduced. The government wants to now adopt European food safety standards and most Israeli guidelines are to be repealed. The changes affect, among other things, the production and import of canned vegetables, pasta, rice, sweets, spices, soup powder, condiments and dairy products.
“You know why Israelis always come back [from Europe] and say, ‘Why is it so much cheaper in Berlin?’ Because Berlin uses European standards and they are cheaper. So let’s bring them to Israel,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid explained in a video message. In fact, the cost of living in Israel is among the highest in the OECD, although this is generally attributed to a lack of competition among local importers and manufacturers.
The decision to adopt the European standards was taken by an inter-ministerial committee composed of representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Consumer Protection Agency and the Competition Agency. The adoption of the European food standards in place of the Israeli ones will come into force on January 1 of next year. Of the 127 food standards currently in force, 97 will then be abolished for Israeli importers.
However, for domestic manufacturers, these 97 safety standards will be phased out over the course of four years. 60 will be phased out on January 1, 21 a year later, one the following year, and finally 15 on August 1, 2026.
