The Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which marks the Jewish People´s
receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, will begin at sundown on
Saturday night.
On Shavuot, it is customary to eat dairy foods, one of the reasons
being the saying that describes the Torah as having “milk and honey
under its tongue.”
In advance of the holiday, the Israel Dairy Board published on
Wednesday some data relating to the consumption of milk and dairy
products in Israel.
According to the data, 1,338 million liters of cattle milk, 8.8
million liters of sheep milk and 11.4 million liters of goat´s milk
were produced in Israel in 2011. The consumption of locally produced
dairy products in 2011 rose by 2.2%, while the population growth was
estimated at 1.9%. That is, the consumption of dairy products per
person increased by 0.4%.
The Israel Dairy Board´s figures also found that cream cheese spread
is the most popular cheese in Israel, and that 53,000 tons of it are
consumed annually.
Dr. Samuel Friedman, professional director of the Israel Dairy Board,
gave a special interview to Arutz Sheva in honor of Shavuot.
The Israel Dairy Board, explained Friedman, is a private company
which includes public representatives, all of whom “sit together and
take care of the entire policy regarding milk in Israel, milk
production, quality and health.”
The dairy market needs planning because it is based on a quota
system, he said.
“Every farmer has his quota and based on this quota he has to produce
a certain amount of milk per year,” said Friedman. “We take care to
ensure that the supply of the milk is provided, through this quota
system, to all the consumers in Israel.”
He noted that most of the research out there points to the fact that
milk is healthy.
“Most of the research says good things about milk and not bad things
about milk,” said Friedman, noting that “we are proud of the fact
that there has been an increased demand for sheep and goat milk this
past year. We are trying to provide supply for all this demand.”
According to Friedman, the farmers are not to blame for the high
prices of milk and dairy products, which in the past year have led to
protests and boycotts by Israeli consumers.
