Cottage Cheese Shortage Hits Peak: Prices Reach 50 Shekels per Cup
A logistical failure at Tnuva has caused a chronic shortage of cottage cheese in major retail chains. While the company promises to restore supply levels, private sellers have begun listing the product online at inflated prices.
A logistical failure at Tnuva has caused a chronic shortage of cottage cheese in leading retail chains, sparking memories among Israelis from over 15 years ago. Now, with no immediate solution to the temporary crisis, private traders on Facebook have begun listing the cottage cheese cups in their possession for private sale.
"50 shekels for a cottage cheese, first come first served," wrote one of the private sellers on a municipal forum. Tnuva, for its part, is rushing to calm the public and announced that in the coming weeks it will return to routine supply levels and reduce the shortages.
The cottage cheese crisis has once again highlighted the inherent failures of a centralized market. Tnuva controls approximately 70–80% of the basic dairy products category, and following the ongoing shortage, the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce is calling on the government to promote a reform that will open the market to competition while maintaining local production.
President of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, Shahar Turgeman, clarified:
"The shortage of cottage cheese is not a glitch, it is a symptom. It is time to remove the barriers that prevent real competition. Local production is a strategic asset that must be preserved, but Israel's food security also requires diversifying supply sources to ensure continuous availability even during a crisis."
