Goodbye Turkish pasta?
Photo: Yaron Brener
Supermarkets join Turkey boycott
Israel's leading food chains plan to stop importing Turkish-made pasta, flour
Israel's
leading supermarkets have joined the boycott against Turkey following the flotilla affair
and will soon stop importing products made in the country.
"Although I am against boycotts and believe the problem between Israel and Turkey must be solved on the diplomatic level, I am considering stopping the imports of pasta from Turkey," said Willi Food CEO Zvi Williger, one of the main importers of pasta from Turkey.
The main victim of the boycott is expected to be pasta imported from Turkey, which was marketed by the food chains due to its cheap price.
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He added that "all the suppliers from Turkey are pro-Israel and against the anti-Israeli policy."
The Mega chain, which markets Turkish-made pasta under its private label, said Sunday that it would also stop importing pasta and flour from Turkey. The chain noted, however, that the Turkish products could still be found in the stores until the stock run out.
Rami Levy, the owner of Shivuk Shikma, has also joined the move. "We will stop importing pasta from Turkey and start importing past from Italy instead, although it is more expensive than the Turkish pasta," he said.
"I believe the consumers will support our move and I hope that all retailers importing from Turkey will join the initiative and found an alternative in other countries," he added.
The Shufersal chain said Sunday that it was still looking into the matter.
