Giving surplus a second life, Jerusalem’s food rescuers are turning leftovers into a lifeline

The Jerusalem Food Rescuers initiative, founded by Daniella Seltzer in 2019 at the Givat Shaul Wholesale Market, salvages imperfect produce and distributes it to community points across the city. Seltzer is now launching the Jerusalem Urban Food Forum to coordinate surplus from approximately 2,200 food businesses, potentially yielding 7,000 tons of rescued food annually. Mayor Moshe Lion signed the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact in June, aligning Jerusalem with over 300 global cities committed to sustainable food systems.

The Jerusalem Food Rescuers initiative, founded by Daniella Seltzer in 2019 at the Wholesale Market in Givat Shaul, salvages imperfect fruits and vegetables — under-ripe, overripe, bruised, or visually unappealing — and distributes them to collection points such as community centers across all areas of Jerusalem. The initiative is almost entirely volunteer-staffed and now serves as the first stop in the market's processing chain, gaining trust and cooperation from truck drivers and market managers over time. Seltzer is now launching the Jerusalem Urban Food Forum, a citywide mechanism to coordinate surplus food from approximately 2,200 food-based businesses in Jerusalem, including restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, bakeries, food producers, caterers, and institutional kitchens. The plan estimates this could yield around 7,000 tons of rescued food annually. Mayor Moshe Lion signed the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact in June, committing Jerusalem to building more efficient food systems alongside over 300 cities worldwide, including Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, and Jericho. The article frames the initiative as addressing food security, nutrition, and waste reduction, with Seltzer emphasizing the need for municipal investment in coordination, logistics, and digital tools.