Turkey Flags Tea Dye Scandal and Inspects Oil Plant for Contaminants

The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that laboratory tests uncovered prohibited food‑coloring additives in two popular black‑tea brands. The investigation identified the Akbar Çay brand (batch 45) and Sakaoğlu Group’s “Kravatlı Çay” (series 7) as containing synthetic dyes, prompting administrative sanctions and a consumer warning to check packaging and batch numbers.

In a related food‑safety effort, the ministry conducted a technical inspection of a sunflower‑seed oil processing facility in Tekirdağ. Inspectors examined every production stage—from seed receipt and cleaning through crushing, roasting, mechanical pressing, extraction, refining, filling and margarine manufacture—to assess the risk of MOSH/MOAH contamination. A follow‑up meeting with regional officials, industry representatives and experts discussed the findings and outlined measures to strengthen safety standards.