Diyanet's food tender ignores austerity: Pistachios and hazelnuts in baklava must be top quality
Another meat scandal has emerged at the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). While the demand for meat dishes every day for the lunch prepared for the Presidency's senior executives caused a stir last month, the requirements specified for meat in a new tender have now come to light.
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Last month, the lunch menu prepared for the senior executives of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB), which frequently makes headlines due to its multi-billion lira budget and luxury official vehicles, was revealed, sparking significant debate over the fact that meat dishes were served almost every day.
Diyanet spent the month of May with this very menu...
While the controversies continued, Diyanet showed no limits to waste.
As a 6-month food procurement was carried out for its specialized training center, the requirements specified for meat in the 8 million lira tender drew attention.
According to the report by Deniz Ayhan from Sözcü, based on the Public Procurement Bulletin; Diyanet held a 'Food supply procurement' tender on May 6 for the Hafız Ali Haydar Özak Religious Specialization Center in Trabzon.
On May 23, it signed a contract worth 7 million 885 thousand 525 TL for products to be consumed from June until the end of 2024. All food items to be purchased were listed in Diyanet's tender technical specifications. 87 items of food were purchased for the specialization center, which has 51 staff members and provides training to groups of approximately 25 people, including 3 thousand 250 kilograms of lean daily meat, 1 thousand 750 kilograms of stewing meat, 800 kilograms of ready-made meatballs, and 1 thousand 500 kilograms of ground meat. 800 kilograms of baklava, 750 kilograms of halva, and 1 thousand kilograms of Kemalpaşa dessert were also among the products.
A STRANGE 'MEAT' DESCRIPTION
It was stipulated that the walnuts, hazelnuts, and Antep pistachios in the baklava must be fresh and of 1st-class quality.
It was required that all meat be slaughtered and stamped in accordance with Islamic standards. The specification stated, “The color of the meat shall be between pink and red, its texture firm, with its own characteristic appearance and smell, and the outer parts of the carcass shall be partially covered with a layer of fat. The meat shall not contain more than 10 percent fat. The meat shall be from male animals. Meat from female animals will not be accepted. For veal rump, it must be from the boneless muscle group extending between the pelvic bone and the knee joint on the inside of the leg. There shall be no bone fragments or cartilage pieces in the meat.”
Here is that specification: