K A S H R U T . C O M_©

November 16, 2025 from Jerusalem Post:

"While Israel could produce enough plant-based foods for survival, full self-sufficiency would come at a staggering cost and be reliant on vegetative food production.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement last September that worldwide hostility to Israel could force it to become a globally isolated “super-Sparta” with “autarkic features” – meaning little or no engagement with international trade – is mistaken and unfeasible, at least when it comes to feeding the nation.

"A new Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) study has revealed that while Israel could technically sustain itself through local vegetative food production, the economic price would be staggering. The model shows that complete self-sufficiency would demand massive farming subsidies and major shifts in agricultural output, making it an impractical goal. Instead, Prof. Iddo Kan, Prof. Israel Finkelshtain, doctoral student Yehuda Slater, and Prof. Aron Troen of the Robert Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment argued for a balanced approach, combining agricultural innovation, diversified import sources, and strategic food storage, saying this path would offer the most sustainable path to national food security.

"When wars, pandemics, and trade disruptions shake global markets, one question becomes urgent for every nation: Can we feed ourselves? The study offers an answer – and a warning. “Achieving full food self-sufficiency in Israel is technically possible –but only for plant-based foods intended for human consumption, not for livestock feed. Thus, during a severe import blockade, Israel’s food system could sustain a vegetarian population, but not maintain its current levels of animal-based production.

"There is nothing shameful about this reliance on other countries for some types of food, Kan told The Jerusalem Post. 'Israel is similar to other relatively rich countries that are highly dependent on food imports like Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.'"