In response to the latest wave of price hikes on food items, the protest organization Dear Israel is calling on Israelis to expand the consumer boycott announced on October 14, and to reduce their purchases of products made by Israel's large food companies, including Osem Investments Ltd. (TASE: OSEM), Strauss Group Ltd. (TASE:STRS), and Tnuva Food Industries Ltd.
"Only by working together will the public have the immense power to prevent the price hikes. Reduce consumption - that is the order of the day," says Dear Israel on its website. "The boycotts will continue after November 1 until the reduction in consumption and the preference for alternative producers will cause the heads of the big corporations and the captains of the economy to realize that the Israeli public is fed up by the monopoly in the food industry, a control that not even the Israeli government has been able to deal with. The power and the right to strike are in our hands, vote with your pocketbook every time you go shopping."
Dear Israel's current list of products to be boycotted includes Osem snacks and ketchup, Heinz ketchup, Tnuva subsidiary Snowfrost frozen vegetables, and Sky white cheese made by Strauss.
"The food companies have opened a united front of price hikes against consumers," said Hatzarchanim (Consumers) leader Itzik Alrov today in response to Tnuva's announced that it was raising prices, a day after Strauss made a similar announcement. "Instead of showing responsibility and restraint toward the public and customers, the companies prefer, one after another, to join the wild price party at our expense. Hatzarchanim is calling on the public to join hands and unite in the fight to lower the cost of living."
Alrov hinted that the public should boycott Strauss and Tnuva to force them to lower prices. "We should all reduce our family consumption by 10% to send a clear message - we've had it. Enough with the price hikes."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 25, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012