(Communicated by the Office Of The Chief Scientist, Israel Ministry of Economy)

The Israeli company Melach Haaretz - Salt of The Earth Ltd. - Israel’s major producer of salt since 1922, won three prestigious awards at the international competition for innovation held as part of the SIAL biennial food expo, SIAL Innovation Selection. Some 2400 products competed in SIAL Innovation Selection 2014, of which only 200 received awards.

Salt of The Earth participated in last year’s program at the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in Israel’s Ministry of the Economy to encourage R&D and within three months, came up with a detailed program - including a variety of innovative products - which enabled the company to export to the international industrial community and retail markets. As a result of the consultation and support that the company received through the program, which aims to encourage R&D in traditional industries, it succeeded in developing four product lines within a single year.

Israel’s Chief Scientist Avi Hasson: "Mobilizing traditional industries towards innovation and technology has tremendous significance for the Israeli economy. Melach Haaretz is an outstanding example of a company that utilized the tools offered by the Chief Scientist’s Office to transform its outlook and selection of products. This is one of the first times that Melach Haaretz has introduced retail and industrial products which are truly innovative and have real added value, while bringing innovation to the table salt category throughout the world."

Michel Hubert, Director at the Israeli Industry Center for R&D (MATIMOP) and head of the program to encourage R&D: "It was fascinating to see how a company whose main product is salt intended to melt ice on roads during the winter months could develop - through implementation of innovative processes aided by the consultation and support it received from our program to encourage innovation in traditional industries - a line of original and attractive products based on advanced technology within a particularly short span of time."

The three winning products are unique, innovative and based on natural sea salt from the Red Sea:

Wonder Salt

Based on the premise that children put too much salt on their food simply because they cannot see how much salt they use, Wonder Salt is a colorful salt allowing children to see exactly how much they have salted their food. It comes in four colors produced naturally (red from radish peels, yellow from pumpkins and safflower, orange from carrots and green from apple peels) and contains only 50% of the sodium of ordinary table salt. The product is thus a healthy, colorful and exciting addition to the diet in tune with global health trends.

Salt N' Easy

A new cooking aid based on sea salt with herbs and seasonings intended for roasting fish, poultry and meat. This new products follows leading trends of ease of preparation and health considerations. Salt N' Easy allows every person to cook like a chef easily and with minimal effort. All you need is a chicken (or fish) and a bag of Salt N' Easy. Preheat an oven, take a pan, put the meat or fish in the center and pour the salt around. The salt's natural quality of heat conductivity will create succulent dishes with a crisp outer layer - without adding oil. The product was launched in Israel in 2014.

Umami Salt

We all know the four basic flavors (salty, sweet, bitter and sour). Salt of The Earth presents the "fifth flavor" through a new product - the all-natural Umami Salt. This new product will enhance every dish with tomatoes (pizzas and pasta dishes), meat and cold sauces: an upgrade to home cuisine with reduced sodium an unusual taste sensation.



The Program to Encourage R&D and Innovation at the Office of the Chief Scientist is run through MATIMOP and is intended to help companies in traditional branches of industry which need to improve their R&D capabilities to upgrade their competitiveness through implementation of R&D processes and the adoption of new technologies. This includes mapping of existing capabilities, outlining future goals, examining technology gaps and consultation to improve capabilities with more advanced technology and production. One of the main goals is to bring companies to a point where they can participate in one or more of the programs run by the Office of the Chief Scientist. Indeed, some 20% of the companies which have graduated the program succeed in later joining other programs at the office.

In light of the success of the program, the Office of the Chief Scientist has decided to extend it to other sectors, including haredim and minority sectors, in an effort to encourage more companies to participate in various programs at the office.