No Matzah Shortage Expected Before Pesach

The country will have enough matzah for Pesach, the Economy Ministry and major supermarkets said on Monday, rejecting reports of a shortage.

Two of the biggest retail chains, Rami Levi and Shufersal, said that though shelves might briefly be empty, there is an ample supply in their warehouses. Some panic-buying in recent days as pandemic restrictions were imposed did result in a temporary shortage, but fears of empty supermarkets have abated, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Officials at the Economy Ministry said they have been carefully tracking food production and distribution since the coronavirus outbreak in Israel in order to quickly identify shortages, and that supplies are adequate to meet demand.

The demand for matzah is up by about 15 percent, but that production has been increased accordingly. The Economy Ministry said on Monday that matzah bakeries were well prepared for any further increase in demand and that they had sufficient raw ingredients to meet any spike.

The rise in demand is caused at least in part by the greater number of Israelis staying home this year, in view of the bans on travel abroad.