Turkey implements new food safety and labeling regulations

The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has implemented comprehensive new regulations regarding food production and labeling to ensure consumer safety and prevent unfair competition.

Under the new meat product standards, döner must be clearly categorized as “yaprak döner”, “kıyma döner”, or “yaprak-kıyma döner”. Specific meat ratios, fat limits (max 25%), and salt limits (max 2%) have been established. The use of fillers like starch and soy, as well as certain additives like peanuts or cheese in traditional products like sucuk and pastırma, is now restricted or prohibited. Additionally, smoking processes for certain meat products are banned.

Regarding dairy, the regulations redefine milk fat classifications to “tam yağlı”, “yağlı”, “yarım yağlı”, and “yağsız”, eliminating ambiguous intermediate categories. New limits have been set for sugar content (max 9.5% total) and flavoring agents. The term “natural” can now only be used for specific milk types without additives.

Furthermore, new rules for flavoring agents prohibit the use of pig and insect-derived components. To combat illegal alcohol production, flavorings cannot be marketed using specific alcoholic beverage names like “rakı” or “whiskey”. Businesses have been granted transition periods to comply with these new standards, with some deadlines extending into 2026 and 2027.