Local bakery industry faces decline in bread consumption amid Israeli war on Gaza

AMMAN — The shockwaves of the escalating Israeli war on Gaza have impacted on the local bakery industry, leading to a decrease in bread consumption, according to Bakery Owners Association President Abdul Ilah Hamawi.

“There has been a shift in demand and there is an overall decline in sales since the onset of the war in Gaza,” Hamawi told The Jordan Times, noting that shoppers are currently skipping or minimising their purchases of bakery products that are profitable like sweets and other baked products, with a shift focused on their daily intake of bread. 

“Shoppers are buying smaller portions… the demanded quantity decreased to at least 15 per cent,” he added.

He said that there are a number of factors for this decline, including abrupt changes in people’s lifestyles and preferences, and the prevailing state of “worry and distress” amid ongoing tensions in Gaza.

A number of bakeries have noted that consumers are increasingly buying packaged bread in supermarkets and other retail stores; this has also contributed to the notable decrease in demand from local bakeries.

Salameh Rateb, a cashier at a bakery in Amman, said that there is a rising demand for gluten-free products. Where some areas particularly in the capital, people are moving towards whole grain bread, yet in the past few weeks the total number of consumers purchasing from bakeries fell by approximately 10 per cent.

“The store-bought bread that is increasingly being available in all supermarkets is another thing impacting us,” he explained.

According to Hamawi, an estimated 10 million loaves are consumed daily.