How Concentrated Is Israel’s Food Market? 36 of 38 Categories Above 50%
The State Comptroller of Israel found high concentration in 36 of 38 food categories, with a three-firm share averaging about 84%.
36 of 38 food categories in Israel remain highly concentrated, on the audit the State Comptroller of Israel published in November 2024. The audit sets high concentration at over 50% of a category’s market, its own threshold, and the State Comptroller of Israel put the average share of the three dominant companies across all categories at approximately 84%. Every figure below is the State Comptroller of Israel’s own examination of the state’s response to concentration and monopolies, reported by category and by number of dominant companies rather than by company.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 36 of 38 | Food categories where concentration is high, on the audit’s threshold of over 50% of the market | As at the audit, November 2024 |
| 20 categories | Food categories where the three dominant companies hold more than 85%, a subset of the 36 | As at the audit, November 2024 |
| Approximately 84% | Average share of the three dominant companies across all categories | As at the audit, November 2024 |
| 99% | Share of the cream market held by the three largest companies | As at the audit, November 2024 |
| 210 of 848 | Large stores with high geographic concentration, on a calculated rate above 30% | 2021 |
| 6.9% | Private label share of Israeli retail | As at the audit, November 2024 |
| 36.1% | Private label average across selected European countries | As at the audit, November 2024 |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, The State’s Response to Concentration and Monopolies in the Food and Consumer Goods Sector, November 2024, English abstract.
36 of 38 food categories are above 50% concentration
The State Comptroller of Israel found high concentration remaining in 36 of the 38 food categories it examined, and the audit defines high concentration as a category in which a market share of over 50% is held. Within those categories, the State Comptroller of Israel recorded 20 in which the three dominant companies hold more than 85%. The counts are the state audit institution’s own, taken from its examination of the state’s response rather than from any company filing.
- High concentration, as the audit defines it: over 50% of a category’s market
- Categories above that threshold: 36 of 38
- Categories where the three dominant companies exceed 85%: 20, nested inside the 36 and never added to them
- Average three-firm share across all categories: approximately 84%
The top 3 companies hold 99% of the cream market
The State Comptroller of Israel reported the three largest companies holding 99% of the cream market, 93% of instant coffee and 87% of breakfast cereals. These are worked examples inside the 20 categories where the three-firm share passes 85%, and each is a share of that single category, not of food retail or of food manufacturing as a whole. The State Comptroller of Israel publishes them as three-firm shares, with no company named against any of them.
210 of 848 large stores exceed the 30% geographic threshold
The State Comptroller of Israel counted 210 of 848 large stores as having high geographic concentration as of 2021, on a calculated rate above 30% set by the audit itself. This measures concentration at the point of sale in a location, and it is a different measure on a different period from the category shares above. The State Comptroller of Israel publishes the two side by side without combining them.
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Large stores assessed | 848 | 2021 |
| Large stores above the 30% calculated rate | 210 | 2021 |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, November 2024 audit; high geographic concentration is the audit’s own threshold of a calculated rate above 30%.
Private label is 6.9% of Israeli retail, against 36.1% abroad
Private label accounts for 6.9% of Israeli retail against an average of 36.1% across selected European countries, on the comparison the State Comptroller of Israel published in November 2024. The comparator is a set of selected European countries chosen by the audit, not the European Union as a whole. On tariffs, the State Comptroller of Israel recorded 403% as the aggregate household savings on tuna products following a tariff reduction, which is a savings figure and not a price difference.
- Private label share, Israeli retail: 6.9%
- Private label share, average of selected European countries: 36.1%
- Aggregate household savings on tuna products after a tariff reduction: 403%
The audit publishes no market share for any named company
The State Comptroller of Israel reports concentration by category and by the number of dominant companies in it, and attaches no market share to any named manufacturer or retail chain. No Herfindahl-Hirschman index for any food category appears in the audit, and no company-level figure appears in the English abstract published by the State Comptroller of Israel. The absence is recorded here as the audit leaves it.
- Not published: any market share attached to a named food manufacturer
- Not published: any market share attached to a named retail chain
- Not published: a Herfindahl-Hirschman index for any food category
Which figures here may not be added together?
The 20 categories with a three-firm share above 85% sit inside the 36 categories above the 50% threshold, so the two are never summed. The category shares and the 210 of 848 store figure measure different things on different periods, category market share against a geographic rate above 30%, and the State Comptroller of Israel does not present them as one series. The 403% is aggregate household savings on tuna products following a tariff reduction, and it is not a price gap. Every threshold used above, 50%, 85% and 30%, is defined by the audit itself, and the figures are the English abstract published by the State Comptroller of Israel rather than the full chapter.
Questions readers ask
How many food categories in Israel are highly concentrated?
The State Comptroller of Israel found 36 of 38 examined food categories still highly concentrated in its November 2024 audit.
What does the audit mean by high concentration?
The State Comptroller of Israel defines high concentration as a category in which over 50% of the market is held, its own threshold for the November 2024 audit.
What share do the three largest companies hold on average?
The State Comptroller of Israel put the average share of the three dominant companies at approximately 84% across all categories examined.
Which food category is the most concentrated example given?
The State Comptroller of Israel recorded the three largest companies holding 99% of the cream market, the highest of the three worked examples in the audit.
Are any companies named with a market share?
No. The State Comptroller of Israel publishes shares by category and by number of dominant companies, and names no manufacturer or chain against a figure.
How concentrated is Israeli food retail by location?
The State Comptroller of Israel counted 210 of 848 large stores above a calculated geographic concentration rate of 30% as of 2021.
How large is private label in Israel?
Private label accounts for 6.9% of Israeli retail, against a 36.1% average across selected European countries, as the State Comptroller of Israel reported in November 2024.
What is the 403% tuna figure?
The State Comptroller of Israel recorded 403% as the aggregate household savings on tuna products following a tariff reduction, a savings figure rather than a price comparison.
Can the 20 categories and the 36 categories be added?
No. The State Comptroller of Israel reports the 20 categories above an 85% three-firm share as a subset of the 36 categories above the 50% threshold.
Which body carried out the audit?
The State Comptroller of Israel, the state audit institution reporting to the Knesset, published the audit as a systemic-issues chapter in November 2024.
Does the audit publish a concentration index?
No. The State Comptroller of Israel publishes no Herfindahl-Hirschman index for any food category in the English abstract of the November 2024 audit.
Which period do the store figures cover?
The State Comptroller of Israel gives the geographic concentration count as of 2021, while the category shares are reported as at the audit.
Sources
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2024. The State’s Response to Concentration and Monopolies in the Food and Consumer Goods Sector. Systemic Issues, November 2024, English abstract, 16 pages. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
