Israelis cut food consumption in the second quarter of 2026

Looking at food alone, the inflation-adjusted decline in consumption was 3.8% over the past year and 4.5% over the past two years.

It should be noted that part of the sharp decline this year is due to the Passover holiday – purchases for it this time fell not in the second, but in the first quarter, as well as with Operation Roar of the Lion, which began on the last day of February and lasted 40 days, during which the public catering system in enterprises and educational institutions was closed, which increased household consumption.

In their first quarter reports, major chains showed sharp double-digit sales growth. For example, the Yohananov chain showed a jump in comparable sales by 14.9% (in stores that also operated in the first quarter of last year). Rami Levy Shivuk HaShikma showed comparable sales growth of 8.75%, while Shufersal, which recorded five consecutive quarters of sales decline, showed comparable sales growth of 3.7%.