Government approves aligning food safety standards with EU in bid to cut prices

The government approved a plan to adopt European food safety standards, removing the vast majority of Israeli guidelines, in an effort to address Israel’s high cost of living.

The changes will affect the production and import of items including canned vegetables, pasta, rice, candies, spices, soup powder, condiments and milk products, among others.

“You know how Israelis always come back [from Europe] and say: ‘Why is it so much cheaper in Berlin?’ Because Berlin uses European standards and they are cheaper. So we are bringing them to Israel,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid says in a video statement introducing the measure.