K A S H R U T . C O M_©

No Matzah Shortage Expected Before Pesach

March 30, 2020 - from Hamodia

Israel "will have enough matzah for Pesach, the Economy Ministry and major supermarkets said on Monday, rejecting reports of a shortage."

"Two of the biggest retail chains, Rami Levi and Shufersal, said that though shelves might briefly be empty, there is an ample supply in their warehouses. Some panic-buying in recent days as pandemic restrictions were imposed did result in a temporary shortage, but fears of empty supermarkets have abated, The Jerusalem Post reported."

"Officials at the Economy Ministry said they have been carefully tracking food production and distribution since the coronavirus outbreak in Israel in order to quickly identify shortages, and that supplies are adequate to meet demand."

"The demand for matzah is up by about 15 percent, but that production has been increased accordingly. The Economy Ministry said on Monday that matzah bakeries were well prepared for any further increase in demand and that they had sufficient raw ingredients to meet any spike."

"The rise in demand is caused at least in part by the greater number of Israelis staying home this year, in view of the bans on travel abroad."

Will The Coronavirus Crisis Cause A Matzah Shortage In Israel?

February 26, 2020 - from the Yeshiva World

The corona virus is affecting Israeli business owners because they are not getting the merchandise from China. 'An employee in a large electrical store chain told B’Chadrei that their situation is similar. “We have very little merchandise and we’ve almost run out of products that we usually order before Pesach like ovens, toaster ovens, urns and hotplates.'"

"Apparently, it’s not just clothing and household products that are impacted by the coronavirus situation – the most important purchase for Pesach may be affected as well. A shortage of matzah in Israel is likely, not due to the lack of labor in China but to the increased amount of Israelis that are likely to remain at home for the chag."

Companies "order the merchandise according to a calculation that takes into account the fact that 5%-7% of Israelis are abroad on Pesach and no one is interested in eating kosher l’Pesach food after Pesach."

"If..there’s even a 3%-4% increased demand for matzah on Pesach [due to Israelis canceling trips abroad] that the market can’t supply…it will lead to a shortage.”

"The retail chain owner added that there’s already a shortage of certain products every year on Pesach such as Osem croutons, Elite wafers and Telma cereal due to the fact that companies produce a limited amount, knowing that no one buys Pesach products after the chag is over even at rock-bottom prices."