State covers just 13% of food aid NGOs’ budgets, study finds

Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter

The state contributes just 13 percent of the budgets of food aid organizations in Israel, according to the first comprehensive mapping of food aid charities led by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Sheba Medical Center in central Ramat Gan.

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In September, the Latet charity reported that over a quarter of Israeli families, including every third child, were struggling to access sufficient food for proper development and health.

That meant around 2.8 million people, or 32.1 percent of Israelis, including 1.3 million children, were living with food insecurity, up from 24.9% in 2024.

The new study, published in this month’s issue of Food Policy,  reveals that there are 2,289 active food-aid groups in the country, with an annual total turnover of at least NIS 6.18 billion ($2.1 billion).

A third of the organizations that answered the question reported hiring a total of 28,623 employees, and half reported support from 173,771 volunteers.

About a third of reported turnover came from gifts made within Israel, 16% came from foreign donations, and 16% was in the form of in-kind donations.

Most of the groups were affiliated with the Jewish religious sector, although turnover was higher for secular organizations.

While Arabs account for over a fifth of Israelis and 42.4% of Arab households are food insecure, according to 2023 research figures, only 4% of registered charities in Israel operate in Arab communities. (The study cautions that by focusing on data about registered aid groups, it might have overlooked food aid given by Arab religious institutions that do not formally register as charities.)

The Jerusalem district was served by 29% of the groups, compared to just 9% in the north, despite similar levels of need.

Most organizations operated locally and distributed food products rather than vouchers, the study found.

With relatively little standardized reporting, systematic data on food quality, basket composition and nutritional standards was scarce, raising questions about whether the entire system works as efficiently as it might.

“Our findings show both the strength and the limits of philanthropy,” said Prof. Aron Troen of the Hebrew University, who co-led the study with Moran Accos, alongside Orly Tamir from Sheba Medical Center.

He continued, “Civil society does extraordinary work, but a modern state cannot rely on charity alone to ensure access to healthy food. The real question is whether aid is being delivered equitably, effectively, and transparently, and whether philanthropy is complementing public responsibility or being asked to replace it.”

Orly Tamir added, “From a health system perspective, food insecurity is not only a social issue but a clinical one. When access to adequate nutrition depends on fragmented charitable systems, the consequences are reflected in population health, disparities, and long-term system burden.”

“Helping families facing food insecurity is an immediate moral imperative,” said Moran Accos. “But the policy challenge is year-round. A country cannot treat food security only as a temporary or seasonal act of generosity. It must also ask whether the system is fair, whether it reaches those most in need, and whether public institutions are taking sufficient responsibility.”

The study authors call for stronger public leadership, including improved oversight, standardized reporting, nutritional standards, and better coordination between charitable organizations and government policy.

While food insecurity rates are much lower in OECD countries — roughly 7.5% to 8% of the population — the authors note that comparable patterns of philanthropic expansion have been documented in other high-income countries (HIC), such as Canada, Germany, and the UK, where food banks increasingly serve as de facto welfare infrastructure.

The report says, “Across multiple high-income countries, philanthropic food-aid networks have expanded in response to rising food insecurity, austerity, and welfare retrenchment, and yet they struggle to meet the rising demand.”

Food insecurity can lead to malnutrition, but it is not the same thing. Indeed, it is a prime cause of obesity and is closely linked to disease and increased vulnerability to illnesses such as COVID-19.

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