Healthy eating is not a luxury

A healthy diet is a fundamental right, not a luxury. Most of the Israeli population today does not eat according to the Ministry of Health's recommendations for a healthy diet.

Many studies analyzing dietary habits in the Western World and Israel show that flour and white bread are a major source of the public diet and that they can cause double harm: obesity and chronic metabolic diseases, due to the overconsumption of cheap and satiating energy but little vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Replacing and increasing consumption of whole grain bread (made from whole wheat flour milled from all parts of the wheat kernel) greatly improves public diet and reduces the health issues associated with consuming white flour.

It is inconceivable that the Israeli Government recommends a healthy diet on one hand, and creates economic obstacles to implement the recommendations by increasing the price of whole meal bread.

Therefore, an appeal was made to the Israeli Government, which calls for the introduction of whole grain bread for immediate Price Control, in order to make accessible and promote its consumption as an important part of a healthy and regulated food basket.

This appeal was made by representatives from the Israeli Academic Institutions and NGO’s (link to the appeal in Hebrew).

The appeal will be discussed during the Knesset committee for food prices on Wednesday November 24, 2021.