Bamba, one of Israel’s best-known snack foods, was among the items removed from the cooperative’s shelves.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Jewish organizations distributed 4,000 bags of the Israeli snack Bamba during the Celebrate Israel Day Parade in Manhattan, describing the effort as a response to growing anti-Israel boycott campaigns and a recent decision by a Brooklyn food cooperative to stop carrying Israeli products.

Volunteers from UJA-Federation of New York handed out the bags along Fifth Avenue during the annual parade.

The initiative was carried out in partnership with Met Council, which plans to distribute additional bags of Bamba through its food assistance network.

The distribution followed a vote last week by Park Slope Food Coop, a members-only grocery store in Brooklyn, to boycott Israeli products.

Bamba, one of Israel’s best-known snack foods, was among the items removed from the cooperative’s shelves.

According to organizers, approximately 4,000 bags were provided for the effort. Parade attendees received the snacks during the event, while remaining supplies were earmarked for food assistance programs operated by Met Council.

The organization said the remaining Bamba would be distributed by next week to hundreds of food pantries that receive its deliveries, including the 14 food pantries it owns and operates directly.

The snack will be offered as an additional free item alongside the regular food packages distributed to pantry clients. Met Council also plans to provide some of the bags directly to Holocaust survivors within its support network.

The distribution took place as newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani became the first mayor in 62 years not to attend the Celebrate Israel Day Parade.

Addressing his decision, Mamdani said: “I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn’t be attending the parade, and I’ve made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear.”

Mamdani stated during his campaign that he does not support the existence of Israel as a Jewish state and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Organizers said the Bamba distribution was intended to demonstrate support for Israeli products and to provide a visible response to boycott efforts targeting Israeli goods.

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Generations of Israeli kids grew up eating peanut butter-flavored snack Bamba. Now, manufacturer Osem is negotiating a distribution agreement that could make the snack as wildly popular with American kids

By Navit Zomer, Ynet News via The Calcalist

Bamba, a peanut butter-flavored puffed corn snack, is synonymous with Israeli childhood. Generations of Israeli kids grew up eating Bamba—which is considered highly nutritious and is often credited with lowering peanut allergy rates in the country—since it was introduced in the 1960s.

A 2017 blog post by the U.S. National Institute of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins discussing the rise in peanut allergy in the U.S. suggests exposing babies to peanut-containing foods as early as four to six months of age as a means of inoculation. The post lists Bamba as one of the foods shown to reduce the occurrence of peanut allergy.

Now, Bamba manufacturer Osem Group is negotiating with Swiss multinational Nestlé S.A. for a U.S. distribution agreement that will see Bamba become a staple in the diet of U.S. kids. Osem itself is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nestlé. If the agreement is finalized, Bamba will be added to Nestle’s baby food division, which distributes such popular brands as Gerber and NAN.

Osem is one of Israel’s largest food manufacturers. Founded in 1942, the company built its reputation manufacturing snacks and dry pantry staples, eventually venturing into pickles, ice creams, frozen foods, and prepared middle eastern salads through subsidiaries such as Sabra Salads. Osem already exports a variety of foods to Europe and the U.S. through subsidiaries Osem U.K. Ltd. and Osem USA Inc., focusing primarily on the kosher food market. In addition to specialty kosher food stores, Bamba is sold in the U.S. in stores such as Costco and Trader Joe’s.

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