Osem is ending the production of Osem mehadrin ketchup due to a severe shortage of tomato concentrate that Israel normally imports from Ukraine, Yisrael Hayom reported last week.

Osem had been forced to begin using a tomato concentrate produced in Israel which cannot be certified as Mehadrin due to its reliance on “heter mechira.”

The Osem-Nestlé company told Yisrael Hayom in response to an inquiry that “the war in Ukraine is affecting the supply of raw materials and production, including tomato concentrate for ketchup production. We are working in a variety of ways to meet the demand of all consumers in Israel, including the Chareidi community.”

The company further claimed that they have a stock of the product for the coming months and that they are seeking alternatives for the future.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)