Türkiye's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has conducted approximately 103,679 food inspections during the month of Ramadan and imposed administrative fines of around TL 45 million ($1.4 million) for over 1,000 irregularities.
Ibrahim Yumaklı, minister of agriculture and forestry, made a statement on Monday regarding the inspections. Pointing out that one of their responsibilities is to ensure that citizens have access to safe food, Yumaklı stated that they attach great importance to this issue.
Yumaklı emphasized that they continue to keep every step of the food chain, from field to fork, under control and provide reliable food to citizens.
Highlighting their efforts to prevent unfair competition in the market, Yumaklı noted: "As the ministry, we conducted 1.3 million food inspections in 2023. We imposed administrative fines on 18,948 establishments."
He stated that they continue their activities and food inspections without interruption, meticulously and continuously throughout the month of Ramadan to ensure food safety.
Inspection of packages
Yumaklı emphasized that taking into account the possible changes in people's consumption habits during Ramadan, they particularly focused on official inspections of businesses producing and selling food products such as flour-based products, bakery and sweet products, bread, sugar and sugary products, meat and meat products, dairy and dairy products, which are likely to increase in consumption.
Stating that the inspectors focused on all food-related issues, especially regarding hygiene, at places of mass consumption for iftar and packaging sites, Yumaklı continued his statement as follows: "In official inspections of businesses where packages containing various foods under the name of 'Ramadan packages' are sold and distributed, we checked the expiration dates and label information of the foods and took samples of these products if necessary. In this context, we conducted 103,679 inspections with more than 7,500 food control personnel nationwide throughout the month of Ramadan."
"As a result of these inspections, we imposed administrative fines of approximately TL 45 million for 1,022 transactions and filed criminal complaints against 13 establishments. These penalties were mainly imposed for spoiled or expired foods, establishments operating without registration, violations of hygiene rules and non-compliance with the Turkish Food Codex."
Yumaklı stated that with the approaching Eid al-Fıtr, also known as Ramadan Bayram, inspections have also been increased. He emphasized that the teams show sensitivity in official inspections of all food establishments, especially sugar and sugary products, bakery products, flour-based products, and dessert production and sales points.
Yumaklı noted that consumers can report their food-related complaints and file reports with the "Alo 174 Food Line" from all over Türkiye, saying: "Undoubtedly, the best inspector is the consumer himself, the more our consumers participate in this process, the faster and easier results we can achieve. We do not allow those who play with the health of our citizens, and we will not allow."