Policy Entrepreneurship and Social Sustainability in Israel: Institutional Responses to Food Insecurity Among Individuals with Celiac Disease

Social sustainability refers to the dimensions of sustainability that emphasize human well-being, equity, social justice, and access to essential services, including food security. Within this framework, ensuring access to safe and affordable food for individuals with celiac disease represents a critical yet underexplored policy challenge. This article examines how policy entrepreneurship contributes to advancing social sustainability in the context of food insecurity among individuals with celiac disease in Israel. It focuses on the Israeli Celiac Rights Organization (ICRO) as a case of civil society-driven policy entrepreneurship. Using a qualitative case study design, based on semi-structured interviews, media analysis, and policy documents, the study demonstrates how the ICRO has reframed celiac disease as a social rights issue, built cross-sectoral coalitions, and influenced both governmental and market actors. The findings show that, while state and market mechanisms provided only partial and fragmented responses, policy entrepreneurs played a significant role in transforming an invisible social problem into a recognized policy issue. The article contributes to the literature on social sustainability and policy entrepreneurship by highlighting the mechanisms through which non-state actors shape policy outcomes in contexts of institutional failure.