It is a ubiquitous staple of Israeli cuisine, enjoyed at breakfast just as much as dinner, but as the impact of war continues to bite, Israel’s cottage cheese shortage has reached a crisis point.
The country’s leading supplier, Tnuva, has been hit by a technical problem with its manufacturing machinery, but foreign technicians who are needed to make repairs are refusing to travel because of the conflict in the region.
Shelves which were once abundant with the high-protein dairy product are now virtually bare, with cottage cheese replaced with substitutes like yoghurt.
In 2020 the average price was $3.20 a tub, but that is said to have increased by at least 60 per cent in some parts of Israel.
The cottage cheese crisis is symptomatic of problems across Israel’s manufacturing base.
Much of the manufacturing industry relies on machinery bought from abroad and foreign experts are needed to install and maintain it.
But some foreign companies have classed the country as a war zone and say insurers will not cover their employees' trips.
In Italy, it is the labour unions that are refusing to allow their members to travel.
Israel’s Economy Ministry argued it was powerless to address the problem, saying: “The classification of Israel as a war zone is a diplomatic matter and does not fall under the ministry’s authority.”
Dr Ron Tomer, a former president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel and owner of the pharmaceutical company Unipharm, said factories without strong engineering departments were particularly vulnerable.
“We had a new machine worth 20 million shekels ($5.5 million), but with no technicians willing to come, we spent two months installing it remotely with guidance from Germany.
“We had to set up an elaborate camera system so the European technicians could direct our engineering team over Zoom.”
The cottage cheese shortage is believed to be directly responsible for a now growing shortage of other soft white cheeses.
The Jerusalem Post quoted one food supply expert as saying: "The cottage cheese shortage started weeks ago, and it is getting worse.
"Retailers order 10 crates and receive barely half a crate, and in peripheral areas they sometimes make do with only one tub, which is inconceivable.
"When there is no cottage cheese, the public switches to white cheese and starts hoarding at home, creating a shortage due to heavy demand.
“This is an escalating tailspin that must be stopped. I do not understand where the agriculture minister, the economy minister, the finance minister, or any regulator is to address this matter already. If there is no choice, then please, open quotas and start importing."
After visiting factories across the country Avraham “Novo” Novogrotzky, president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, warned he was unable to see any short-term solution.
He said: “You see machines that are simply shut down. Israeli teams need to be trained, but for now there is no solution.
"Manufacturers that cannot find some kind of workaround are left with a machine that simply does not operate.”
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