Diyanet responds to 'meat-heavy special menu' reports: 'It will not exceed 375 TL per person'

A catering tender by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has become a topic of public debate. While the rich menu list drew attention, the emphasis on 'using sufficient amounts of meat' even in vegetable dishes sparked further controversy. Following the emergence of the list, Diyanet issued a statement regarding the matter.

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Diyanet responds to 'meat-heavy special menu' reports: 'It will not exceed 375 TL per person'

According to information in the Public Procurement Bulletin, Diyanet held a catering tender on March 26 for "candidate religious officials" at the Elazığ Harput Religious Specialization Center.

The tender for 210 days of catering services was awarded to the Aşsa Grup Yemekçilik company, which submitted a bid of approximately 13 million TL.

The tender file prepared by Diyanet included details regarding the requested meals.

According to the file, meat dishes such as steak, tenderloin, roast, and iskender will be the main course four days a week.

DİYANET: 'LEGAL ACTION WILL BE TAKEN'

Diyanet issued a statement regarding the news in question. The statement included the following remarks:

"The allegations in the news report titled 'Nothing Missing but Bird's Milk' published in today's issue and on the website of Birgün Newspaper do not reflect the truth.

In the news in question, the catering tender held on March 26, 2024, for 'Candidate Religious Officials' at the Diyanet Academy Elazığ Harput Religious Specialization Center was distorted, and the public was misled.

It has been deemed necessary to make the following statement regarding the issues alleged in the aforementioned news:

The relevant tender was conducted using the open tender method in accordance with the Public Procurement Law and the Regulation on the Entitlements of Candidate Religious Officials.

Accordingly;

Catering services are being procured for 6 of the 28 Academy Centers where Candidate Religious Officials receive training.

-The service procurement was initiated by taking into account the upper limits in the 'Threshold Values and Monetary Limits to be Applied Between 01.02.2024-31.01.2025' table, which was published in the Official Gazette dated 24.01.2024 and numbered 32439 and entered into force with the Public Procurement Communiqué No. 2024/1, in accordance with the relevant articles of the Public Procurement Law No. 4734 dated 04.01.2002, based on the total amount resulting from the calculation to be made so as not to exceed a maximum of 375 TL (including VAT) per person per day for the six Academy Centers.

Of the 7 bids submitted for the tender held at the Elazığ Harput Academy Center, 4 were deemed valid. Thus, the tender for 3 meals a day for 190 candidate religious officials for 210 days was determined to be 325 TL (excluding VAT), remaining below the maximum of 375 TL set per person.

On the other hand, although it has no relevance to the content of the news, it was observed that an attempt was made to create a negative perception in the public eye by using a photograph of the President of Religious Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, taken during his inspection of the kitchen where pilgrims' meals were prepared in Mecca on June 24, 2023, during the 2023 Hajj season.

Our Presidency will take legal action regarding the newspaper's distorted reporting.

Respectfully announced to the public."

News Source: 12punto