National Food Services – Supervision of Imported Food Unit

Anyone who wishes to import food to Israel must receive the approval of the National Food Services in the Ministry of Health. The National Food Services makes sure that the importer, the imported food and said food's storage all meet the food legislation in Israel (laws, regulations, standards, protocols and directives). About 22,000 imported food products are approved each year.   

The food import processes include several stages:

1. Receiving the importer registration certificate from the National Food Services. 
2. Receiving the confirmation attesting to the submission of the importer declaration for regular food, or the early confirmation for the import of sensitive food from the National Food Services. 
3. Examining the food upon its arrival at the port and receiving the approval for the release of the shipment from the port. 
4. In certain cases: examining the food at the storage site by the National Food Services. 

At each stage the importer is required to follow the protocols and to present the required documents according to the type of food that he imports. The processes involve the payment of tolls, save for the issuing of the importer registration certificate and the examining of the shipments at the importer's warehouses.

Non-animal-based food is classified into "sensitive food" and "regular food", each of which has a separate clearance process (see below; food that is not included in the list of sensitive products is considered a regular food product). 

• Product groups: Classification Guidebook
  This guidebook classifies foods according to product groups and provides descriptions of these groups and examples for the food products belonging to each group. The classification into product groups is based upon the Codex Alimentarius within the framework of the general standard for food supplements (ALINORM 04/27/12 Appendix IV). This guidebook can serve as a useful tool for importers when classifying their products as sensitive or regular food products, according to their legal definition.  

Re-declaration of food as sensitive food

The Public Health Protection Regulations (Food) (Declaration of Sensitive Food), 5780-2019, were published in the official bulletin on 10.10.2019, pursuant to Article 61 of the Public Protection Law (Food), 5776-2015. 
The regulations will take effect within 60 days from the date of their publication in the bulletin, and their goal is to replace the list of sensitive foods listed in Appendix C of the Food Import Protocol – Issuing of an Early Approval for the Import and Release of Sensitive Food 05-001.

Download the regulations file (Hebrew)

The Public Health Protection Regulations (Food) (Declaration of Sensitive Food), 5780-2019 (Hebrew) (henceforth: the new regulations) shall become effective on 10.12.2019 and will replace the list of sensitive foods listed in Appendix C of the Food Import Protocol – Issuing of an Early Approval for the Import and Release of Sensitive Food 05-001, published on the website of the National Food Services.

In light of the above: 
The classification of food products as "regular food" and "sensitive food" will be done according with the new regulations). See the Product Group Classification Guidebook for explanations on the classification of products in accordance with the regulation, descriptions of the various product groups and examples of food products belonging to each group (Hebrew).
However, in order to maintain consistent import supervision, early import approvals for sensitive food that were issued before the commencement of the new regulations will remain effective for the release of the food shipments as regular foods until their expiration date.
For your information, it will not be possible to extend the validity of early import approvals for sensitive food for release as regular food.

The declaration form for the import of regular food pursuant to Article 74 has been updated in accordance with the new regulations. The form is only available in the portal of the National Food Services, access to which requires the use of a smart card.

Food import tracks

Import of non-animal-based food - general

• Import of non-animal-based food - general (Hebrew)

Sensitive food

This category includes sensitive food such as baby food, milk products and cheeses.

• Importer registration certificate
• Extending an importer registration certificate
• Receiving early approval for import (Hebrew)
• Extending the approval (Hebrew)

Regular food

This product includes regular food like pasta, biscuits and candy.

• Importer registration certificate
• Extending an importer registration certificate
• Online process for the import of regular food

Personal import

• Personal import of food, including food supplements

Import of food not intended for human consumption

The administrators at the Import Department in the National Food Services are authorized to permit the import of food which is not intended for human consumption for research and development purposes. Food importers who carry an importer registration certificate and who are interested in this permit (exemption) may submit a request to the Import Department through the importers portal, a request that includes all of the following:

1. A reasoning letter explaining the development, intended users and intended use, including a declaration that the food products will not be used as food for human consumption.
2. The manufacturing scope.

Companies that are not listed as food importers need to turn directly to the Ministry of the Economy to request this exemption (for example, manufacturers of cleaning detergents who seek this exemption for the development of olfactory agents used in the manufacturing of soap, or research laboratories who seek this exemption for the development of enzymes for their research).

There is no need for recommendations from the Ministry of Health. The requirements of the Ministry of the Economy should be followed.

Protocol for exemption from the approval of the National Food Services

Fill in the 2C2 form (Hebrew) on the website of the Ministry of Economy
Choose: Handling Authority > Chemistry and Administration Division
Grounds: Exemption from the labeling requirement. 
Attach a reasoning letter that explains the transaction, the intended users and the intended use, as well as a concluding line where you declare that these products will not be used as food for human consumption.  

Importing food samples

Import of food samples for retail consumption (or as a raw material for the industry for non-commercial use)
Food import protocol: Issuing an early approval for the import and release of sensitive food (Hebrew)

Food samples can be imported in the following quantities:

Retail food: up to 100 kg in total 
Food used as raw material for the industry: up to 250 kg in total 
Food supplements: up to 15 kg in total 
Food used as raw materials in the manufacturing of food supplements: up to 10 kg   

The application process for the approval for the import of food samples:

Applications are to be submitted online, in the National Food Services portal.

Applicants who are not registered in the National Food Services' directory of importers may submit the application through the open zone of the portal. You need to open a new request in the computer system, titled: "Release of Food and Actions to be Performed – Samples".
The following documents should be attached to your application:

• Letter from the applicants with a declaration that the shipment is intended for marketing feasibility testing or for laboratory testing and not for commercial use.
• Supplier invoice.
• Manufacturer's declaration that the imported products are food grade.

Upon submitting the application, a new inquiry is opened in the National Food Services' FCS system, and this inquiry is being forwarded to the quarantine station to which the shipment is scheduled to be directed. Applicants will receive their answers online.

Import of task-specific food in the 29C track, pursuant to the guidance "receiving the approval from the National Food Services for the import of task-specific food / medical food and the release of said products from the quarantine stations".

Food donations in a state of national emergency

Owing to the ongoing war situation in Israel over the last few months, there are many offers for donations of food from outside Israel for the men and women of the armed forces, as well as for the population that was affected by the war.

Applications for offers of food donations from outside Israel for the men and women of the armed forces, as well as for the population that was affected by the war should be filed in accordance with the "emergency protocol for the regulation of food donations during the Iron Swords War".

This protocol regulates food donations from outside Israel during the Iron Swords War. Wartime food donations will be considered as "special cases" as detailed in Articles 10.6.1 and 10.6.2 in protocol 05-001 on the import of food: Issuing the early approval for the import and release of sensitive food (22.9.16).

• Emergency protocol for the regulation of food donations during the Iron Swords War (Hebrew), including a declaration form for food donations (Hebrew)
• Filing an application for the release of food donations in the portal

Food shipments on behalf of UNRWA

No need for food import approvals, no need for payment of tolls at the crossing/quarantine stations. The crossing/quarantine station will verify the test results for the imported food, according to the food laboratories' workload. Once approvals have been received from the civilian administrations, applicants will receive their answers online.

Donations for autonomic entities

Approvals should be received from the National Food Services. There is no need to pay tolls to the National Food services. The approval for the import of the food will be conditioned upon:

• Approval from the Customs Authority, specifying the donation number
• Results of specific laboratory tests for specific products

In this case, the applicable tolls should be paid at the port.

Imports for airlines and ships

• No early approval or payment of tolls required.
• Results of specific laboratory tests for specific products should be presented at the port.

Import of food for embassies: in accordance with the Food Import Protocol – Issuing of an Early Approval for the Import and Release of Sensitive Food 05-001. 
Applications are submitted through the portal, to which applicants should attach the shipment documents and the applicant's declaration that the food is online intended for consumption in the embassy. Applicants should receive their answers through the portal.