Israel Faces Widespread Shortage of Popular Tnuva Cottage Cheese

Israel is experiencing a significant shortage of Tnuva cottage cheese, a highly popular dairy product, ahead of upcoming holidays. The deficit is particularly acute due to Tnuva's dominant market share, accounting for approximately 75% of all cottage cheese sales in the country. This scarcity is exacerbated by a surge in demand as Israelis return from summer vacations, the start of the new school year, and preparations for holiday feasts.

Industry sources warn that resolving the shortage will be challenging, especially with a series of Jewish holidays approaching, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, which will reduce working days and further strain production and supply chains. Despite Tnuva increasing its cottage cheese deliveries by about 5% in August compared to the previous year, this has not been enough to fully bridge the gap.

The current crisis traces back to a technical malfunction in an automated warehouse system at Tnuva's Alon Tavor dairy plant on May 19. While production itself continued, the issue caused severe delays in dispatching finished goods. The repair process was further complicated when foreign specialists, needed for the repairs, refused to travel to Israel during the recent conflict. Although Tnuva announced a return to normal operations by the end of July and aimed to build up inventory for the holidays, the empty shelves indicate that previous deficits have not been entirely overcome.