Registry
Does Osem support Israel?
Yes — Osem has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Food & beverage brands · Companies that support Israel
Background
Osem is the Israeli half of a widely misread pair. It is a wholly Nestlé-owned subsidiary, trading as Osem-Nestlé since the Swiss group bought out the last minority shareholders in February 2016, and almost everything circulated online as 'Nestlé donating to the IDF' was in fact done by this Israeli company: food and water to soldiers and rescue forces in October 2023, tens of thousands of products to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers, baby food to Sderot, and a multi-million-shekel fund for Sderot residents. Nestlé S.A. in Switzerland made no equivalent corporate donation; its own first publicly reported step was a precautionary shutdown of an Israeli plant for a few days. Osem's Sderot factory, a kilometre from the Gaza border, is the physical centre of the story: it lost an employee on 7 October, reopened under rocket fire two weeks later, and housed displaced staff so production could continue. Because the Osem brand is Nestlé-owned, boycott lists that name Nestlé and boycott lists that name Osem are usually pointing at the same underlying facts.
Walla Finance (Hebrew) Ynet (Hebrew) — inside the Sderot plant Nestlé — official M&A page Reuters via ThePrint — Nestlé temporarily shuts Israeli plant
Timeline of documented support
Documented support
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations in Israel | 1942 | — | State of Israel (taxes, employment, national food supply) Osem is one of Israel's largest food manufacturers and the maker of some of the country's most recognisable brands, including the Bamba peanut snack, Bissli, pasta, soups, sauces, baked goods and baby food. Founded in Israel in 1942, it runs five production plants in the country. The largest is in Sderot, a rocket-exposed town beside the Gaza border, opened in the late 1970s, employing about 520 people and producing some 50,000 tonnes of food a year; a dedicated Bamba plant opened in Kiryat Gat in 2019 and produces more than a million bags a day. This page covers Osem as a brand and subsidiary; its Swiss parent is documented separately in nestle.json. | |
| Acquisition | 2016-02 | $840,000,000 | Nestlé S.A. (buyer) — Osem Investments Ltd. minority shareholders (sellers) Osem is wholly owned by Nestlé. The Swiss group built the position gradually — first investment and exclusive Israeli distribution rights in 1995, majority control (50.1%) in 2002, 58.76% by 2012 — and in February 2016 bought the remaining 36.3% for about $840 million (€752 million, ILS 82.50 per share), delisting what was then Israel's largest publicly traded food manufacturer from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The Israeli business now trades as Osem-Nestlé. Attribution note: actions by Osem-Nestlé in Israel are the subsidiary's, and should not be presented as decisions of Nestlé S.A. in Switzerland. | |
| In-kind support | 2023-10 | — | IDF soldiers and rescue forces; the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers; residents of Sderot; southern families via the Latet aid organisation In the first days of the October 2023 war Osem-Nestlé sent dry, ready-to-eat food and water to Israeli soldiers at staging areas and to rescue forces, organised deliveries of tens of thousands of dry-goods products to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers, and sent a dedicated shipment including baby food to residents of Sderot, with further products distributed to families in the south through the Latet aid organisation. Attributed to Osem-Nestlé, the Israeli subsidiary, and not to Nestlé S.A. in Switzerland, which made no equivalent corporate donation. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2023-10 | — | Israel's food supply chain; Osem-Nestlé employees displaced from the Gaza-border area Osem-Nestlé's Sderot plant, which had run continuously for 45 years, shut when gunmen were on the ground on 7 October 2023 and reopened about two weeks later, operating under continuing rocket fire and with a depleted workforce so that basic products — pasta, sauces and soup mixes — stayed on Israeli supermarket shelves. The company rented apartments and hotel rooms for displaced employees and provided vehicles so they could reach the production lines. One plant employee was killed in the 7 October attack and others were left traumatised. Attributed to Osem-Nestlé management in Israel. | |
| Donation | 2023 | — | Residents of Sderot, with emphasis on young people affected by the 7 October attack (Osem Sderot fund) Osem-Nestlé established a fund of several million shekels to support residents of Sderot after the 7 October 2023 attack, with emphasis on young people traumatised by it; the company runs the initiative under the Osem Sderot fund banner, which also supports technological education in the town. No single verified total was published, so no dollar amount is recorded here. Attributed to the Israeli subsidiary Osem-Nestlé. |
Frequently asked questions
Did Osem donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of cash donations, but Osem has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel, Acquisition, In-kind support, Donation). See the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 7 distinct sources are cited for Osem. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-07-30
- Osem-Nestlé — our factories (official) osem-nestle.co.il
- Ynet (Hebrew) — inside the Sderot plant ynet.co.il
- Nestlé — official M&A page nestle.com
- FoodNavigator foodnavigator.com
- Walla Finance (Hebrew) finance.walla.co.il
- Osem-Nestlé — Osem Sderot fund (official) osem-nestle.co.il
- Reuters via ThePrint — Nestlé temporarily shuts Israeli plant theprint.in