Browse Data and Analysis

The Caribbean Basin region continues to experience growth, driven primarily by the steady rise in tourism, which in turn impacts consumer demand.

On June 9, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection published a request for public comments on changes to the Deposit Law on Beverage Containers.

On February 2, 2025, the Government of Israel published the “Public Health Protection (Food) (Food that is an Alcoholic Food), 2025 Regulation.” Under this regulation, the Ministry of Economy’s authority over alcoholic beverages was transferred to the Ministry of Health.

In 2024, Israel's technologically advanced, market-oriented economy achieved an annual GDP of $541.8 billion, with a modest growth of 0.9 percent. The food retail industry saw significant activity, with sales reaching $21 billion in 2024 and a projected growth of 5 percent in 2025.

Serbia’s overall grain production in MY 2024/25 had mixed results as its winter crops (wheat and barley) experienced bumper crops while corn, soybean and sunflower declined for the third year in a row.

Effective January 21, 2025, Serbia temporarily prohibits the import and transit of certain animal products originating from countries with confirmed foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks.

This report highlights the food processing industry, its drivers, key players, and market landscape in the Caribbean Basin. The region relies heavily on imports, and the United States is the largest supplier of food ingredients.

Israel will continue to rely on imported feed and grains as it uses land and water resources for more cash crops. Due to poor weather conditions, Post forecasts Israel’s marketing year 2025/26 wheat production down (due to poor weather conditions) and imports up as production was limited.

On March 27, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on changes to European Union Directive 1999/2/EC related to reporting requirements in food and food ingredients treated with ionizing radiation.

On February 27, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on changes to European Union regulation No 1169/2011 related to the provision of food information for consumers.

On February 26, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on changes to five European Union regulations related to labeling (including messages and prohibited and restricted substances in food) and food improvement agents.

On February 5, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on the domestic application of changes to the Annex to European Union Directive 396/2005, amending the regulation for the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides in food and feed of plant and animal origin.