Israel Orders Food Plant Closed Over Serious Sanitation Violations

Israel’s Health Ministry issued a public warning Wednesday against consuming food products manufactured or packaged at a facility operated by Nir VeNitzan Sachar Ltd. in Moshav Azaria. The announcement followed serious findings uncovered during an inspection of the facility, including extremely poor sanitary conditions and operations without a legally required manufacturing license. Following the findings, the facility was also ordered to close immediately.

The private company primarily packages and markets food products, particularly dry goods and dried fruit. Its products are distributed through supermarket chains across Israel, meaning the warning also applies to consumers who have already purchased items packaged at the facility. To determine whether a particular product is affected, consumers should check the manufacturer or packager information printed on the packaging.

The investigation began with a complaint submitted to the Health Ministry. Following the complaint, food safety officials from the Central District conducted an unannounced inspection of the facility, located on Derech HaMeyasdim Street in Moshav Azaria. Inspectors discovered that the site was operating without the manufacturing license required by law and that production processes were being carried out under extremely poor sanitary conditions. Health Ministry officials determined that the findings raised serious concerns about the safety and quality of the products, potentially posing a direct risk to public health.

Given the severity of the violations, the Health Ministry’s Central District physician, Dr. Udi Kleiner, signed an administrative closure order that took effect immediately. Alongside the closure, the ministry issued a broad warning against consuming any food products manufactured or packaged at the facility that remain on store shelves.

The warning applies to products with all expiration dates up to and including February 2028, rather than only those produced during a specific period. The public is therefore urged not to consume any product whose packaging indicates that it was manufactured or packaged at the facility, even if its expiration date has not yet passed.