Unprecedented kashar cheese scandal! Melting down the cheese and...

Teams from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry took action following a tip-off regarding illicit production at a facility operating in the Teşvikiye neighborhood of Sakarya's Pamukova district.

Inspections revealed that the facility's windows were blacked out from the inside, product shipments were generally carried out at night, and transport vehicles were parked in a way that they could not be seen from the outside. This situation indicated that the facility was conducting secret and unmonitored operations.

EXPIRED KASHAR CHEESES FOUND

As a result of the teams' detailed investigation, it was determined that the facility was not using milk, but instead melting down expired or near-expired kashar cheeses collected from the market and remolding them.

Five tons of counterfeit kashar cheese obtained through this illicit production were seized. The total market value of the counterfeit cheeses was reported to be approximately 1.5 million TL.

The Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry imposed an administrative fine of 210 thousand 622 TL on the business, which was determined to be operating without approval.

Furthermore, it emerged that numerous actions had been taken against the owner of the business in the past regarding similar food safety violations. The seized counterfeit products were collected for destruction.

GLOVE FOUND IN CHEESE

This is not the only scandal the business has been involved in. In a report made to the Alo Food 174 hotline in March 2025, it was reported that a plastic glove was found inside kashar cheese purchased from a delicatessen in Sakarya.

Laboratory analyses confirmed that that product was also produced at the same suspicious facility.