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Since its European Union (EU) accession in 2004, Lithuania has consistently harmonized its domestic food and agricultural regulations with EU standards. Post advises stakeholders to consult with Lithuanian importers and/or buyers to ensure current...

Lithuania applies harmonized European Union (EU) regulations, including requisite certificates for most animal- and plant-origin food and agricultural imports from non-EU countries. U.S. exporters should be aware that some interpretational variations...

Baltic States’ wine consumption has steadily increased in recent years due to higher disposable incomes, easier access to higher quality products, and evolving consumer trends. Since the Baltic States are European Union (EU) Member States, Baltic wine importers and distributors enjoy relatively easy access to wines available within the common market, including many U.S. wines which generally enter the EU through Western European ports of entry or Lithuania.

As of September 2022, Israel does not have a policy restricting the use of imported genetically engineered (GE) commodities or derivative products. There are no changes in Israel’s policy towards plant, animal biotechnology, and microbial biotechnology compared to 2021.

The impact of the COVID-19 on the Israeli hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) sector was nothing short of devastating. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, accommodation and foodservice activities declined by forty percent in 2020. The sector started to recover during 2021, and it is expected to recover, with a return to pre-COVID-19 sales by 2023.

• Israel passes amendments to the Public Health Protection Act (Food) to ease and reduce the regulatory burden on food importation. Among the amendments is an importation track called the “European Track” which will come into force on January 1, 2023. • New temporary provision easing the importation of certain sensitive foods, “Public Health Protection Act Food (Certificate of Release for Certain Sensitive Foods) (Temporary Provision)- 2022.” • Cancellation of the additional requirements for importing and releasing food products imported without direct contact with the manufacturer.

The report lists and describes certificates that should accompany food and agricultural products to Israel. It also includes the purpose of each certificate and the governmental agency responsible. In general, an original invoice, bill of lading, packing list, weighing list, health certificate, batch number certificate, invoice declaration, and insurance certificate are required to accompany any shipment. An export certificate matrix is included in this report.

In June 2022, Israel authorized the import of U.S. processed meat products, thus making the United States the first and only country with market access for processed meat products in Israel.

To assist U.S. exporters, FAS Tel Aviv has translated Israel’s limits on heavy metals in foodstuffs.

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 $384 million in 2020. The Israel food retail sector was estimated at $12.8 billion in 2021.

Israel is highly dependent on agricultural and food imports. Due to its limited arable land and water resources, the country’s dependence will only increase.

FAS Tel Aviv (Post) forecasts Israel’s wheat imports to reach 1.74 million metric tons (MMT) in market year (MY) 2022/23, a 2 percent increase from Post’s MY 2021/22 figure. In MY 2021/22, U.S. wheat accounted for 8.2 percent of the market, up 55 percent from the previous year.