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2 clusters · 19 sources · 25 days · First seen · Last updated

Turkey food safety and import regulation updates

Overview

The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has taken steps to strengthen food safety and consumer health safeguards through regulatory changes and inspections.

In late July 2026, the Ministry issued a decree revising the list of products subject to import inspection. The amendment added various food production items, including certain additives, aroma agents, processing aids, gum yeast, and packaging seals, while removing polypropylene copolymer compounds from mandatory checks.

Following these regulatory updates, the Ministry identified 44 adulterated or counterfeit food products during inspections in August 2026. The non-compliant items primarily consisted of 25 dairy products, such as cheeses and yogurts containing unauthorized ingredients like vegetable oils and starch. Specific cheese varieties in regions like Bilecik and Aksaray were highlighted for discrepancies including low fat content and the use of melting salts.

Additionally, 14 meat products were found to be mislabeled. Inspections revealed that beef or lamb products, such as Adana kebap from a branch of Ciğerci Bahattin in Sakarya, contained poultry meat. Significant scandals also involved the use of ‘single-hoofed animal meat’ (horse and donkey) in products such as sucuk, tantuni, and lahmacun. Specifically, Saffet Et Ürünleri Sanayi Ticaret Limited Şirketi, operating under the brands ‘Kocaağa Çiftliği’ and ‘Salih Kocaağa Çiftliği’ in Kırklareli, was identified for using horse and donkey meat in several varieties of sucuk. Similar findings were reported in Mersin and Manisa.

Other violations included the use of offal, such as heart and head meat, in minced meat products. Furthermore, a food supplement marketed as ‘Honey Palace Epimedyumlu Macun’ was found to contain prohibited medicinal active ingredients. The Ministry stated that administrative and legal actions are being taken against the offending businesses.

Entities

Ciğerci Bahattin · Salih Kocaağa Çiftliği · Zeni Süt ve Süt Ürünleri · Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Turkey) · Saffet Et Ürünleri Sanayi Ticaret Limited Şirketi

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. 23 days ago

    [HEALTH] 19 sources
    Turkey Ministry of Agriculture identifies 44 adulterated food products

    Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry identified 44 adulterated food products, including dairy with vegetable oils and meat products containing poultry, horse, or donkey meat.

  2. about 2 months ago

    [BUSINESS] 3 sources
    Turkey Expands Import Inspection List, Adding Food Additives and Dropping Polypropylene Copolymers

    Turkey's Agriculture Ministry revised import inspection rules on 28 July 2026, adding food additives and related items while dropping polypropylene copolymers to boost food safety.

Sources

aden-city.net · albiladpress.com · aqualifeofturkey.com.tr · beyazgundem.com · brooklynballet.org · dunya.com · finans.mynet.com · gazetedamga.com.tr · haberinyildizi.com · halktv.com.tr · i-moto.com.tw · koganpage.com · mersinhaber.com · ortadogugazetesi.com · snowsonline.fr · tamil.thehindu.com · tnv.ca · yenialanya.com · yenisafak.com

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history