The Pizza Index and Our Empty Shelves

Last week, during a late-night pizza run with my teenage son, I found myself explaining why Pentagon pizza deliveries once made headlines. His eyes lit up with curiosity when I told him that journalists used to track late-night food orders near the Pentagon to predict looming military operations. They called it the “Pizza Index.” Whenever America was about to engage in conflict, local pizzerias reported a spike in orders — a quiet signal that planners were working overtime.

That quirky story got me thinking: what’s Israel’s version of the Pizza Index?

After October 7th, it became crystal clear. We don’t order pizza — we raid the supermarket. Flour, rice, oil, eggs, toilet paper — gone. Within hours, shelves were stripped bare. I call it the “Empty Shelf Index,” and it tells a powerful story about our collective instincts during crisis.

The contrast is striking. While Americans reach for convenience, we reach for sustainability — raw ingredients, long shelf lives. But this behavior has a price. At Paamonim, where I work helping families build financial resilience, I’ve seen firsthand how panic buying can break a household budget.

According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, we already waste about 30% of the food we purchase in normal times. Now imagine tripling your grocery bill in a moment of fear — how much of that food ends up expired, unused, or thrown away?

Emergency preparedness is important, but so is thoughtful planning. Build your pantry around what your family truly eats. Stock what you can actually afford — and finish. On our website, we offer practical tips for smart emergency shopping.

Because being prepared shouldn’t mean throwing financial stability out with the spoiled milk.