Tnuva Factory Malfunction Causes Shortage of Cottage Cheese and White Cheese in Israeli Supermarkets

Israeli consumers are facing a shortage of basic dairy products such as cottage cheese and 5% white cheese, which have recently disappeared from supermarket shelves. Retailers report receiving only about 80% of their orders from dairies, with some products selling out by mid-morning and shelves appearing half-empty by noon. The shortage is primarily due to a malfunction in the automated warehouse control system at Tnuva's Alon Tabor dairy plant. This system acts as the technological 'brain' of the warehouse, managing the dispatch of pallets. The malfunction has persisted for over a month because repairs require technicians from abroad who are currently unwilling to travel to Israel due to security concerns. As a result, about half of the pallets meant for shipment remain stuck in the plant, forcing manual handling that cannot fully compensate for the disruption.

The dairy shortage, including fresh milk, has been ongoing for weeks. Initially, dairies attributed the scarcity to increased consumption during the conflict in Iran, which disrupted their ability to build up inventory ahead of the Shavuot holiday. Typically, dairies start preparing for Shavuot early in the year by building and rotating stock, but the war caused a surge in demand that prevented adequate stockpiling. Although the conflict ended after Passover, and production resumed, the increased holiday demand again depleted supermarket supplies. Despite Tnuva adding a new milk carton production line in Rehovot months ago, companies have struggled to meet consumer demand.