On October 15, 2024, the Israeli government announced the 10th Amendment to the Public Health Protection Legislation (Food), which adopts more than 40 new food directives and regulations to align with EU standards. The legislative changes, which will come into effect on January 1, 2025, cover a wide range of food products. Its key points are:

(1) Adoption of 40 new EU regulations. Israel has adopted 40 new EU regulations and expanded, filtered, modified and exempted them accordingly. After some adjustments, the legislation applies to all “food operators”, i.e. all manufacturers, importers and distributors;

(2) importers are required to implement a food safety program. The “relevant importer” shall be registered with the Israeli Ministry of Health and shall have a quality and safety control program for each imported product, which is imported through the “European Fast Track for import” (which allows the importer to import products that are already sold in the EU). The legislative changes extend the scope of application to cover all food operators (including bulk sellers) and require the implementation of food safety control plans by August 2026.