Mahane Yehuda Market, an old and popular symbol of Jerusalem, a lively compound around the clock, leads the movement to raise awareness to the green symbols on products.

Mahane Yehuda is a famous market and well known for the abundance of fresh food, equipment and clothing, situated in the city of Jerusalem between Yafo and Agrippas streets. The market is very popular among the city residents and tourists.

Mahane Yehuda Market has been declared the first Israeli market that calls upon its visitors to buy healthy products as defined by the Ministry of Health. The green symbol is intended to help choosing healthier products in a clear and simple way, in order to encourage a healthier lifestyle and purchasing healthier foods marked with the Ministry of Health green symbol. The program in Mahane Yehuda at the local level is raising awareness to the green symbol. It is a collaboration of the Jerusalem District Health Bureau and the Jerusalem Municipality, Division of the Market Traders' Committee, as part of the national program EfshariBari in the City.

Credit: Municipality of Jerusalem

What is the green symbol?

The symbol is a voluntary symbol the Ministry of Health recommends farmers, food producers and distributors use at the selling points, provided the food meets the guidelines set by the Special Scientific Committee appointed by the Ministry of Health. The green symbol is suitable for packaged foods and those sold in bulk. The foods sold in bulk that can be marked with the green shelf symbol include fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh eggs, fresh fish, legumes, nuts and cereals without additives. Read more about the green symbol and foods sold in bulk in the following articles: The Green Symbol, Labeling Bulk Foods with the Green Symbol – for Supermarket Owners.

The program for green labeling in the market

• Change of knowledge and awareness: Raising awareness among market traders, customers, tourists and city residents to help them choose healthy food through the green symbol and its significance.
• Change of stands and behavior: Encouraging consumption and purchase of food in its natural state among the crowd passing through the market and the stall owners and encouraging change in some of the products sold in the market according to recommendations (for example: encouraging the sale and marketing of nuts and almonds roasted without salt).
• Training agents of change: Qualifying a licensing and promotion business team as active partners of the steering team and training market traders who meet the criteria for obtaining the green symbol as active members of the publicity team.
• Environmental change: Placing signs at relevant stands with a barcode (QR code) visitors can scan to read additional information about the green symbol on the EfshariBari website.
• Other joint community cooperation: Out of a desire to create collaboration and exposure to additional populations: for example, students of the Experimental High School (close to the market), which is defined as a green school, by participation in the training process and assistance to stall owners to maintain the green signage.
• Further public exposure: Experiential joint activities on health subjects in the vicinity of the market.
• The program is accompanied by a survey amongst the market traders.

Examples of shelf labeling in Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem

Such a move has many partners: the District Health Office and the Jerusalem Health Coordinator of EfshariBari have cooperated with several organizations in the city: the Environmental Health Department, the Business Promotion Department and the Market Traders' Committee, with the Health Promotion Department and the Nutrition Division and the national EfsharBari program.

The green symbol labeling program in Mahane Yehuda is an example of health promotion program implemented in a local council in the framework of EfshariBari in the City, where the local health unit works with various partners to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. See further information about the EfsahriBari in the City initiative; Join the EfsahriBari in the City program – EfsahriBari in the City 2022; Read the EfsahriBari in the City guide for local authorities.

A detailed program for green labeling in markets and supermarkets for local authorities will be published soon.

See below a downloadable green signage printable poster in Hebrew and Arabic. You can display it at different locations such as family health centers, HMOs, medical centers, workplaces, educational institutes, supermarkets and so on.

Green signage poster – Hebrew
Green signage poster - Arabic