The Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee approved on Monday, for its final Knesset readings, legislation establishing the National Council for Nutritional Safety.
The purpose of the law is to "promote the nutritional safety of Israel's residents, in the spirit of human dignity and principles of equality, justice and fairness, and to this end to establish the National Council for Nutritional Safety that will advise the Welfare Minister in this matter." The term "nutritional safety" means the "ability to consume regularly food comprising all the necessary nutritional components for proper development and health."
The Welfare Minister – currently Moshe Kachlon of the Likud – will be responsible for formulating national policies in the area of nutritional safety.
The legislation was sponsored by MKs Ruhama Avraham (Kadima), Tzion Pinian (Likud), Avraham Michaeli (Shas), and Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism).
The new council will number 13 members, including two Health Ministry employees, two Welfare Ministry employees, and a representative of each of the Treasury, Education, Older Citizens, and Agriculture Ministries. Its chairman will be "a person with expertise in the area of welfare and society, who is not currently a government employee."
The council, which is to convene at least once every two months, will advise the Minister on policy planning, supervision and enforcement, and researching new models by which to attain nutritional safety among the various population sectors.