Business owners will keep records of the appropriateness of the batch number or mark used in the products. When requested, this information will be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Foods that do not carry the specified symbols or marks will not be allowed to be sold on the market.

Food business owners will be required to keep records of the appropriateness of the batch number or mark used on food labels or packaging, and to submit them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry upon request. The Ministry initiated action to ensure food safety, protect consumer health and interests, by preparing and presenting the draft “Turkish Food Codex Regulations on Signs or Numbers Defining the Batch of Foods”. While defining the signs for identification of the batch to which the food belongs (a group of sales units produced, manufactured, or packaged under the same conditions) and detailing the definitions of batch and batch/lot numbers/marks, rules and principles regarding the marking were established. Under the regulations, foods that do not carry a sign, letter, symbol, or number that identifies the batch to which they belong will not be put on the market.

EXCLUDED PRODUCTS Temporary storage, products sold or sent to preparation or packaging facilities, products sent to producer organizations, and agricultural products collected for immediate use in preparation or processing facilities, or foods not packaged in ready-to-sell form at the point of the final consumer but packaged as requested by the buyer or prepared directly for sale are exempt from this rule. Portion ice creams and edible ices served to individuals in packages smaller than 10 square centimeters, with the batch identification sign or number on the combined package, are also exempt.

TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE MINISTRY UPON REQUEST The batch number or mark will be determined by food producers each time. The batch mark or number will be determined and marked under the responsibility of one of the business owners. Except where clearly distinguishable from other markings on the label, the letter “P” or “L” will precede the batch mark or number. In packaged ready-to-sell foods, the batch mark or number and, if necessary, the letter “P” or “L” will be placed directly on the packaged ready-to-sell product or on a label affixed to this package. In non-packaged ready-to-sell foods, the batch mark or number and, if necessary, the letter “P” or “L” will be on the package or container, or on the relevant commercial documents in the absence of these. If the recommended consumption date or the expiration date is indicated without being coded as at least days and months in order on the label, this date can be used as the batch number. In these cases, the label or package will include the statement “Batch/lot number is the expiration date/recommended consumption date.”

ADMINISTRATIVE SANCTIONS WILL BE APPLIED Food business owners will keep records of the appropriateness of the batch number or mark used on food labels or packaging, and will submit them to the Ministry upon request. While the draft regulation was prepared in compliance with the “European Parliament and Council Directive on Signs or Symbols Defining the Batch of Foods,” administrative sanctions will be imposed on those who act contrary to the regulation under relevant articles of the “Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law.” If the draft regulation is put into effect, the “Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Marks or Symbols Designating Batch Numbers of Food Products” dated January 4, 2012, will be repealed. Food business owners will be required to comply with these regulations by December 31, 2026. Foods that do not comply with the regulation will not be allowed in the market after the same date. The same rule will apply to the labels of imported foods.