Demand for dairy products rose by 1.8% in 2019 in general, with about 170 liters being consumed per person. About 51 of those liters are milk and drinks, with the remaining 119 liters being yogurt, snacks and cheeses.
In the week before Shavuot 2019, the demand for dairy products and dairy substitutes rose to about NIS 153 million and rose further on the week of the holiday itself to about NIS 222 million, 53% more than during an average week. Demand for dairy snacks rose by 84% compared to the average week.
White cheese and whipping cream were the main dairy products which saw a rise in demand in the days leading up to Shavuot, with a 124% rise in white cheese demand and a 228% rise in whipping cream demand.
The average yield per cow in Israel in 2019 stood at 11,507 liters per year, meaning about 32 liters per cow per day. At the end of 2019, there were 723 cowsheds in Israel.
Many Jews around the world have the tradition to eat dairy for at least one of the meals on the holiday of Shavuot, the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the first fruits (bikkurim) offering at the Temple in Jerusalem.
A number of reasons are provided for the tradition, including the fact that the Torah is compared to milk, and that the Jews were given the Torah – including the laws concerning kashrut and ritual slaughter – on Shabbat, meaning that no animals could be slaughtered for food.
Jewish law (halacha) dictates that one should "rejoice" on the holidays. The Talmud derives that the rejoicing mentioned in the Torah means eating the meat of the sacrifices and drinking wine, a ruling that many follow to this day as halacha by preparing (non-sacrificial) meat dishes and drinking wine. As such, some have the custom to eat one dairy meal and one meat meal on Shavuot.