İYİ Party submits research proposal on food poisoning: Rejected by AKP and MHP votes

Taking the floor on the proposal, İYİ Party Tekirdağ Deputy Selcan Taşçı said, "Since the penalties are not deterrent, no brand, hotel, school, dormitory, or business is more valuable than a single human life. Establishing a research commission that will work on a wide spectrum, from undisclosed pesticide analysis results to sanctions not applied to firms on the imitation and adulteration lists, and the safety of the line between industry and market, and market and consumer, is inevitable for Turkey and for this Parliament." 

The proposal submitted by the İYİ Party to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to investigate the causes of food poisoning was not accepted by the votes of the AKP and MHP.

"WE ARE BEING POISONED BY THE FRUIT WE EAT"

Taking the floor on the motion, İYİ Party Tekirdağ Deputy Selcan Taşçı said, "The hometown and homeland they came to happily for a vacation became a grave for a three-year-old child. A family was wiped out right before our eyes, and the Minister of Health's statement was, 'Our friends have performed the necessary interventions; as a first impression, we do not think there is a deficiency there.' Even this statement reveals what a great deficiency we actually have when human life and public health are at stake."

Noting that the fumigation that should be carried out by licensed firms is being done haphazardly with unlicensed chemicals, Taşçı stated, "Is the fact that the poisoning incident could not be prevented in the first place not a deficiency in itself?"

Reminding that a citizen was also poisoned due to coffee they drank, Taşçı said, "In 2021, a 4-year-old child died in this country from pesticides in a pomegranate; they died at 4 years old from the fruit they ate because of pesticides. 23 students in Kayseri, 67 students in Mardin; these are just the events of the last few days. For a food item to become inedible, there must have been an impropriety in the procurement of raw materials, its transportation, its processing, or its storage." 

"We are being poisoned by the fruit we eat, the milk we drink, the water we use for agriculture, the soil, the air we breathe, the meat, the fish, the chicken," said Taşçı, pointing out that poisoning cases occur in schools, dormitories, and hotels. Stating that food safety is not a luxury, Taşçı said, "Since the penalties are not deterrent, no brand, hotel, school, dormitory, or business is more valuable than a single human life. Therefore, establishing a research commission that will work on a wide spectrum, from undisclosed pesticide analysis results to sanctions not applied to firms on the imitation and adulteration lists, and the safety of the line between industry and market, and market and consumer, is inevitable for Turkey and for this Parliament. Six months from now, a year from now, we will have to establish this, just as we established one for children yesterday." 

"YOU CAN DIE DUE TO LIFELONG POVERTY"

Taking the floor on behalf of the DEM Party group regarding the proposal, Istanbul Deputy Çiçek Otlu said, "We have seen once again that it no longer matters whether they were poisoned by food or by toxic poisoning due to these chemical toxic substances. Death is very cheap in this country; it can be caused very simply; that is, the fact that this is not an accident has been revealed by the lack of supervision throughout the twenty-three-year history of the AKP regime since it came to power." Otlu spoke as follows: 

"No one has any idea what chemical substances are touching the fruit and vegetables we eat. There is no inspection of what food we eat or what drinks we consume in tourism and accommodation, or in cafes, bistros, and restaurants; or there is no inspection regarding where the cleaning agents used in the hotels or tourism areas we stay in come from; it is unregistered. In this country, you either die suddenly in a cheap way, or you can die due to lifelong poverty." 

"STRENGTHENING INSPECTION POWERS IS A NECESSITY"

Speaking on behalf of the CHP Group, Ankara Deputy Aylin Yaman stated, "The recent increase in food poisoning is by no means a coincidence; it is a result of a lack of inspection and systemic weaknesses." Yaman continued her words as follows: 

"As Turkey, our situation is also sounding alarms in the international arena. In the first nine months, 384 violations were detected in products sent to the European Union, and Turkey has placed 1st on this list. Pesticide residues, carcinogenic substances such as aflatoxin, and microbiological risks threaten not only our exports but also the domestic market because there is no proper data on whether all these returned products are destroyed, and the process is not managed transparently. For this reason, strengthening inspection powers, returning inspection powers to municipalities, food engineers playing a more active role both in the field and in institutions, increasing laboratory capacity, and strictly controlling pesticide use are no longer a choice but a necessity."

"OUR WORK CONTINUES UNINTERRUPTED"

Speaking on behalf of the AKP group regarding the proposal, Elazığ Deputy Erol Keleş stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's official controls to ensure food safety continue on a risk-based approach, saying, "In this context, 3,405 inspections were carried out in the summer of 2024, especially in tourism regions, and necessary administrative sanctions were applied to businesses where non-compliance was detected." 

Stating that 15,088 inspections were also carried out in school and dormitory canteens during the academic year, Keleş said, "All measures to protect the health of our students have been carried out with sensitivity." Keleş continued as follows: 

"When a food poisoning report is received, our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry continues to work 24/7 in our 81 provincial directorates within the scope of the official control procedure for foodborne illnesses. Samples are taken from the products, raw materials, and production data subject to the complaint on the same day, and hygiene conditions are evaluated; work is carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Health. Our work continues uninterrupted with the goals of protecting public health."