Tnuva Resolves Cottage Cheese and White Cheese Shortage After Two Months

After nearly two months of scarcity, the shortage of cottage cheese and white cheese in Israel is easing, with supermarket shelves now regularly stocked even in the evenings. In recent days, Tnuva has resumed supplying normal quantities to retail chains, allowing inventory levels to rebuild and meet consumer demand. The shortage began before the Shavuot holiday when Tnuva struggled to fulfill orders for cottage cheese, which quickly sold out upon arrival at stores. As consumers shifted to white cheese, demand surged there as well, causing shortages across both products.

The root cause was a malfunction in the automated warehouse system at Tnuva's Alon Tavor dairy plant, which disrupted the movement of pallets despite uninterrupted production lines. The system, supplied by German company Dematic, could not be fully repaired on-site due to the outbreak of the "Guardian of the Walls" military operation, forcing remote troubleshooting and manual operation of some processes. This limited the pace of distribution, while a roughly 4% increase in dairy product demand since early 2023, partly due to fewer Israelis traveling abroad amid security concerns, further strained supply.

Tnuva dominates Israel's white cheese market, with Strauss holding about 30%, making the shortages particularly impactful. Only after two weeks of restored normal supply have the gaps in availability been fully closed, allowing consumers to find cottage cheese and white cheese consistently on shelves once again.