The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has announced companies involved in food fraud. According to the information provided by the ministry, firms engaged in food counterfeiting will now be reported instantly. During inspections, counterfeit and adulterated products were found in many brands, and some food products were found to contain alcohol. Tequila in an underground oven in Antalya, raki in products of another company, whiskey in a kokorec vendor, and voka in another were discovered. Additionally, horse meat instead of beef, starch in cheese, dye in red pepper were detected. The most common counterfeiting occurs in honey and dairy products, with chicken meat being passed off as beef products. A new era in the food industry has officially begun.
Counterfeit, adulterated, and fraudulent foods will now be exposed instantly. These will be listed on the trustworthyfood.agriforest.gov.tr website. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı announced that the new monitoring system for reliable food will be in effect starting today, and violators will be identified. Yumaklı mentioned that announcements regarding fake products will now be made more rapidly, stating, “These used to take a long time, resulting in long intervals between public announcements. There was no specific publication period, with bulk announcements being made. In the new system, public announcements will be instant and shared with consumers online.” Some products from companies disclosed by the Ministry were found to contain alcohol, such as colorant in red peppers and pig meat in a dish called tas kebab. Medicinal ingredients were generally found in products marketed as dietary supplements. Medicinal ingredients were discovered in herbal pastes. The addition of a drug substance to prevent mold in some dairy products was identified, with the substance called Natamycin being found in many foods. Overall, there were violations of regulations such as starch in vegetable oils, vegetable oils in dairy products, and incorrect moisture and fat levels in cheeses. The companies and products exposed by the Ministry are listed on the trustworthyfood.agriforest.gov.tr website.
Here are the companies and their products that have escalated their counterfeit practices…