Three of Israel’s largest food and consumer goods companies announced imminent price rises yesterday.
The first was Unilever, which notified retailers of a rise in the prices of some of its products averaging 3.5%, with some rises as high as 9%. Unilever said that the price hikes would apply to products the prices of which have not risen in the past two and a half years, and that "we made an effort to minimize the price rises as much as possible."
Unilever also said that there would be no change in the prices of its chocolate products, ice creams, and most cosmetic products. Among the products that will become dearer are breakfast cereals, Knorr soups, and Pinuk products. The price rises will come into force on May 15.
Within minutes, food giant Strauss Group notified retailers of a rise of up to 1.5% in prices of dairy products, which it explained by the rise announced by the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Ministry of Finance in the price of raw milk and in prices of controlled dairy products. The rises will come into force on June 3.
Not long afterwards, the Central Bottling Company (Coca Cola Israel) notified retailers of a 2.3% average rise in prices of carbonated beverages, Fuse Tea, Somersby Cider, mineral water brand Neviot, and Prigat soft drinks.
Tara, which is owned by the Central Bottling Company, also announced a 1.4% rise in the prices of controlled dairy products. Prices of products not subject to price controls will rise by 2.7% on average.
Later in the day, Gad Dairies announced an average 1.5% price hike, to come into force on June 3, after the Shavuot (Pentecost) holiday, on which dairy products are traditionally consumed. It too blamed a 3% rise in the price of raw milk, and the rise in controlled prices of some products.
Last week, Israel’s largest food company, Tnuva, announced a rise in the prices of its dairy products. On May 11, prices of controlled-price products will rise by an average of 1.4%, except for the price of butter, which will rise by 4.5%. Tnuva said that prices of milk-alternative products would not rise, and that the price hikes were in the wake of price rises announced by the state.
The dam was breached by importer Diplomat, which notified retailers last week of rises of 14-15% on some products. But to judge from past experience, the rises will not stop there, and it will not just be the food companies involved.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on April 29, 2025.
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