Shufersal, Israel’s largest food retailer, announced it is removing popular dairy products by Tnuva from its shelves.
According to the company, Tnuva's decision to raise prices was made unilaterally and without coordination, despite Shufersal’s explicit requests to delay the move until after the Shavuot holiday, especially in light of the complex security situation and the economic burden on consumers.
“Shufersal cannot approve the price increase," the company said. “Following our refusal, Tnuva chose to stop supplying the products affected by the price hike. As a result, we are currently removing the ‘Piraeus’ and ‘Yoplait Fruit’ brands from our shelves."
“We are acting out of a sense of national responsibility, and out of concern for the consumer," the retailer added, apologizing to customers for the inconvenience and the expected shortage of the well-known cheese and yogurt brands.
Late last month, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that beginning on May 1, the prices of regulated dairy products in Israel would rise by 1%. “The results of the periodic price calculation indicate that regulated milk product prices should be updated by 1.05%," a statement read.
According to the updated list, the price of one liter of fresh 3% milk in a bag rose be 6.41 shekels ($2.14 on the day of reporting), while 1% milk in a bag rose to 5.95 shekels ($1.99). Consumers who prefer milk in a carton now pay 7.35 ($2.45) shekels for 3% milk and 6.92 ($2.31) shekels for 1% milk.