Food prices in Israel have shot up by 6% since the outbreak of war with Hamas, hitting families already struggling with the country's sky-high cost of living, Israel's top financial watchdog warned today (Tuesday).
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman pulled no punches in his latest report, pointing to a perfect storm of crisis: factories running at half capacity, nearly one in five food industry workers absent, and prices climbing steadily higher.
"Israeli families are buckling under these costs," Englman said. "And let's be clear - our government isn't doing enough about it."
The numbers paint a grim picture. When it comes to buying power, Israeli paychecks stretch far less than those in the U.S., Britain, or France - about three times less, according to the report. Food prices have been climbing for years, with basic groceries up 23% since 2011. Fruits and vegetables have jumped even more, rising 37%.
Behind these rising prices lies what Englman calls a "chokehold" on the food market. In most food categories, just three companies control over 85% of sales. Nearly every aisle in the supermarket - 36 out of 38 product categories - is dominated by a handful of suppliers.
Israel also lags far behind other developed nations in food imports, which could help drive down prices through competition. While the average OECD country's imports make up 47% of its economy, Israel's sit at just 23.4%.
How has the government responded to the crisis?
A special committee on living costs was created last June, but since then, it has met just seven times, even as war and inflation push prices higher. While the biggest food suppliers' grip on the market has loosened slightly - from 42.7% to 37.5% over the past five years - the country's antitrust watchdog hasn't done enough to break up these monopolies, according to the report.
"We need action, not meetings," Englman said, "Israeli families can't wait any longer."
Jpost contributed to this account.