New regulation for sucuk, döner, and meatballs: Rules have changed

The "Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Meat, Prepared Meat Mixtures, and Meat Products," prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has been published in the Official Gazette and entered into force. With this regulation, the principles regarding the production, packaging, and marketing of raw meat, minced meat, minced poultry, prepared meat mixtures, mechanically separated poultry meat, and meat products have been redefined.

According to the new rules, the addition of components that could serve as a source of protein or nitrogen, other than meat, milk, eggs, and yogurt, to meat products has been prohibited. This aims to prevent the use of fillers such as soy and starch to increase product weight.

WHAT DOES THE REGULATION INTRODUCE?

The communiqué prohibits the smoking process and the use of flavoring agents such as pistachios and cheese in traditional products like sucuk, pastırma, and kavurma. The definition and criteria for burger products have also been established, requiring these products to be produced in accordance with meatball criteria.

Labeling rules for döner have also been clarified. Depending on the production method, it has become mandatory to specify the product name on the label as "yaprak döner" (leaf döner), "yaprak-kıyma döner" (leaf-minced döner), or "kıyma döner" (minced döner).

The fat ratio in prepared poultry meat mixtures and poultry döner has been reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent. Within the scope of the regulation, food businesses operating before the date of the communiqué's publication are required to comply with the new provisions by March 31, 2027.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı stated in a post on his social media account that decisive steps are being taken for reliable food. Yumaklı said, "We are putting an end to practices such as adding soy and starch to meat to increase product weight. We are preventing those who distort the essence of our traditional delicacies like sucuk and pastırma by adding different additives, and we are transparently labeling our döner as 'leaf' and 'minced'."

Yumaklı noted that the fat ratio in chicken döner has been reduced to 15 percent, adding that inspections and regulations will continue to ensure that products reaching tables are reliable and of the quality they deserve.