The Facebook Cottage Cheese War: Israelis Start Page Over High Cost

In Israel Facebook has been used to organize protests and uprisings but now it is being used for something completely different, protesting the price of cottage cheese. A page started on Friday which protests the rising cost of the curd friendly dairy has received more than 75,000 likes with a promised boycott of the product on the way.

Cottage cheese is a staple of the Israeli diet and prices began to immediately drop on Friday as supermarkets rushed to put the food on sale. Cottage cheese prices have risen by 39% in the region since 2008.

The group was started after many consumers pointed to price fixing from the three major company’s who control the market which has caused officials to warn that they will begin importing the product to increase competition or place the product as a “basic” food which will allow government officials to control the price.

One organizer told the AP, “Cottage cheese is not the essence of the struggle, it’s just the symbol of a greater protest,” one of the organizers told reporters yesterday.”

There’s a little bit of proof that Facebook can in fact be used for the great good. I’m thinking a “price a beer” protest is about due in the U.S. where prices have soared over the last several years.