Browse Data and Analysis

In 2024, Israel's technologically advanced, market-oriented economy achieved an annual GDP of $541.8 billion, with a modest growth of 0.9 percent. The food retail industry saw significant activity, with sales reaching $21 billion in 2024 and a projected growth of 5 percent in 2025.

South Africa’s dairy industry is likely to grow in the future due to improving economic factors, despite suffering from many weather and disease related challenges in the past five years. This growth may provide opportunities for dairy genetics exporters.

With over 2,500 facilities, the Israeli food processing sector is an important player in the domestic economy. In 2022, Israeli food processors' annual revenue stood at $23.19 billion.

Wine grape production in 2025 is forecast to improve by five percent on favorable winter conditions, which will translate into a slight increase in wine production.

The five biggest corporations, Shoprite Holdings Ltd., Pick n Pay Retailers Pty Ltd., Spar Group Ltd., Walmart-owned Massmart, and Woolworths Holdings Ltd., account for a substantial portion of the retail food market in South Africa. When combined, they make up over 60% of all retail food sales.

Israel is a net importer of all major categories of food products. The Israeli food retail sector was estimated to be $20.7 billion in 2023, and during the same year, Israel imported around $4.96 million of consumer-oriented products.

The South African retail food market is highly concentrated among the five largest companies, including Shoprite Holdings Ltd, Pick n Pay Retailers Pty Ltd, Spar Group Ltd, Massmart (Walmart-owned), and Woolworths Holdings Ltd.

Israel is a net importer of all major categories of food products. The United States is the top leading supplier of imported consumer-oriented agricultural products to Israel with a total of $444 million in 2022. The Israel food retail sector was estimated at around $13 billion in 2022.

With over 1,800 facilities, the Israeli food processing sector is an important player in the domestic economy. In 2021, Israeli food processors' annual revenue stood at $21.23 billion while the beverage and tobacco industry's annual revenue was $2.67 billion.

This report provides more information on the South African food processing sector, including strategies for U.S. exporters interested in entering the market.

Israel's reform to decentralize the control on toiletries and food will impact the import of processed food products.

Israel's chief rabbi affirms cultivated steak is kosher, which means it is permitted for consumption by Jews under religious law. This ruling opens the door for companies producing cultivated meat directly from laboratory grown cells to receive a kosher certification.