Q&A

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No. According to the Ministry, cutting off the mouldy part does not mean the rest is safe. Especially in foods with high water content, mould can spread into the interior in ways invisible to the eye, and some species can produce heat-resistant toxins (mycotoxins). For this reason the Ministry recommends that products such as yoghurt, jam, tomato paste and bread be discarded entirely, not partly consumed, once mould appears.

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According to the Ministry, loose milk carries a risk of microbial contamination and antibiotic residue because its source and its milking and storage conditions are not regularly inspected, and boiling it at home does not remove these risks completely. Packaged milk is considered more reliable because it undergoes analyses and heat treatments such as pasteurisation or UHT. The Ministry stresses that safety comes not from a product being natural but from the control and processing steps applied to it.

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According to the Ministry, eggs should not be washed unless they are about to be used. The shell carries a natural protective layer; washing damages this layer and can increase the risk of microorganisms passing through the pores and of spoilage. The Ministry recommends keeping eggs in their own packaging in the refrigerator, and — if an egg is very dirty — cleaning it only briefly and gently just before use.

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According to the Ministry, outdoor spaces such as a balcony or a windowsill are no substitute for a refrigerator. Temperatures there do not stay constant through the day; sun, wind and the difference between day and night create freeze-thaw cycles that can increase spoilage and microbiological risk in perishable foods such as meat, milk and cooked dishes. The Ministry recommends keeping food in a refrigerator running at 0-4°C, and food kept for longer periods in a deep freezer at -18°C or below.

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No. According to the Ministry, the great majority of toxic compounds in mushrooms are heat-resistant; cooking, boiling or drying does not remove a mushroom's toxicity. For this reason mushrooms gathered in the wild must never be eaten unless there is absolute certainty that they are edible.

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It is safe if prepared with the right method; but according to the Ministry, looking normal is not on its own a guarantee. Where heat treatment is insufficient, the recipe unsuitable or hygiene lacking, the bacterium Clostridium botulinum can multiply and form botulinum toxin — a toxin that is colourless, odourless and tasteless. Before opening a jar, check the lid for swelling, leakage or deformation; after opening, check for bad odour, mould, cloudiness or colour change. If any of these is present the product must not be consumed. For safe preparation, follow reliable recipes, choose sound jars and use a new lid every time.

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No. According to the Ministry, bacteria that may be present in raw chicken, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, can pass to foods eaten without cooking either through direct contact or by way of equipment such as chopping boards, knives, tongs and plates — this is cross-contamination. Foods that have touched raw chicken and will not be cooked should therefore not be eaten. To stay safe: do not use equipment used for raw chicken on other foods before washing it, wash your hands with soap after handling chicken, and never place cooked or ready-to-eat food on a plate that has held raw chicken.

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The Ministry warns against these products. Rhododendron species may naturally contain substances called grayanotoxins, which when taken by mouth can cause effects such as dizziness, nausea, sweating, low blood pressure and a slowed heart rate. Rhododendron species do not appear on the Ministry's list of plants that may be used as food. The fact that a plant grows in the wild, or is known locally, does not mean it can safely be used as food.

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According to the Ministry it is risky. Such cheeses are generally made from raw milk, are not pasteurised, and it is not known whether they were produced under hygienic conditions. If the milk used came from animals carrying disease agents — Brucella above all — those bacteria can pass into the cheese. It is recommended not to consume cheese of unknown origin made from uncontrolled milk without heat treatment.

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No; according to the Ministry they do the opposite, making milk microbiologically safe. Pasteurisation and UHT are controlled heat treatments that inactivate disease-causing microorganisms, and milk's protein, calcium and other essential nutrients are largely preserved in the process. Homogenisation is merely a physical process that distributes milk fat evenly; it does not adversely affect nutritional value. Pasteurised and UHT milk are safer than raw milk.

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In Türkiye antibiotics may be used in chickens only to treat sick animals and only on a veterinarian's prescription; use for disease prevention, growth promotion or higher yield is prohibited. Where treatment is necessary, the legally required withdrawal period is observed before slaughter; the animal may not be slaughtered before that period ends, which prevents residues from passing into the meat. No antibiotic banned in the European Union is licensed in Türkiye, and production is inspected regularly through official controls.

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No. According to the Ministry, hormones are not used in poultry farming, and scientific studies also show that giving hormones to chickens is neither economically nor technically feasible. There is no hormone approved in Türkiye for promoting growth in chickens, its use is prohibited by legislation, and official controls to date have found no evidence of hormone use. Chickens grow faster than in the past because of breeding work, balanced feeding and modern husbandry conditions.

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No. Powdered milk is a dairy product obtained by removing about 90% of the water in milk through controlled heat treatment and low pressure; nutrients such as protein, calcium and lactose are largely preserved. The purpose is to prevent milk from spoiling, to extend shelf life and to make transport easier. Powdered milk produced in line with the legislation in Ministry-approved establishments is not harmful in terms of food safety. One point to watch: products sold as "coffee whitener" are not the same thing as powdered milk — they may contain no powdered milk at all and may consist of different ingredients.

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The safest method is to thaw frozen food in the refrigerator, at +4°C. Thawed food should be eaten without being left standing for long, and must never be refrozen. That is why it is best to thaw only as much food as will be eaten in a single meal.

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No. The colour of an egg yolk relates not to freshness but to what the hen has eaten. Natural pigments found in feeds such as maize, alfalfa and red pepper — carotenoids like lutein and beta-carotene — make the yolk lighter or darker. A dark yolk therefore does not indicate that the egg is fresher, of better quality or more nutritious. Freshness is judged by the production date, appropriate storage conditions and storage time; the surest approach is to check the best-before date and the storage conditions on the packaging.

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No. No dye is needed for olives to turn black. An olive cannot be eaten as it comes off the branch; during the processing methods applied in table-olive production, phenolic compounds naturally present in the olive oxidise and the colour darkens to black. The black colour is therefore the result of a natural chemical change during production. An olive's colour also varies with the time of harvest, the olive variety and the processing method used.

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On packaged foods, allergen information is given within the list of ingredients. Allergens are written so that they clearly stand out from the rest of the list: in bold, in italics and in a different colour. The aim is for consumers to spot an allergenic substance easily, without having to read the whole ingredient list. Allergen information in mass catering establishments such as restaurants, canteens and schools is regulated separately; there it is given on the menu, on a poster or on an information board.

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The information that must appear on prepacked food labels is set out in the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Labelling and Informing Consumers, dated 26 January 2017. Under this regulation a label must show: the name of the food, the list of ingredients, substances causing allergies or intolerances, the quantity of certain ingredients or ingredient groups, the net quantity, the use-by date or the best-before date, any special storage and use conditions, the name or trade name and address of the food business operator, the establishment registration number or identification mark, the country of origin where this is mandatory, instructions for use where needed, the alcoholic strength for beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume, the batch (lot) number and the nutrition declaration. The nutrition declaration gives energy plus fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g or 100 ml. The regulation also requires this information to be accurate, clear, easily visible and not misleading. The label is the main channel of information between producer and consumer, so checking these fields first makes for a better informed choice.

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An ingredient is any raw material or group of materials used in producing a food; flour, sugar, milk, fat, cocoa or fruit pieces are all ingredients. The regulation does not require a quantity to be stated for every ingredient; quantity declaration is mandatory only in defined situations. The quantity of an ingredient or ingredient group must appear on the label when: the ingredient is named in the name of the food (for example products described as "with olives" or "with cheese"), the consumer directly associates that ingredient with the product name (for example the minced meat in lahmacun), the ingredient is emphasised on the label in words, pictures or graphics, or the ingredient is needed to define the product or to distinguish it from similar products. The purpose is to prevent consumers from being misled and to make products comparable. So a missing quantity does not mean the information is being concealed; it means the regulation does not require a quantity declaration for that ingredient.

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Because certain foods and food components can trigger allergic reactions or intolerances in sensitive people, the regulation requires them to be stated clearly on the label. Under the Turkish Food Codex rules on food labelling and consumer information, the main substances and products that must be declared are: cereals containing gluten (wheat, including spelt and kamut, rye, barley, oats, their hybrid strains and products made from them), crustaceans and their products, eggs and egg products, fish and fish products, peanuts and peanut products, soybeans and soy products, milk and dairy products (including lactose), tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts and their products), celery and celery products, mustard and mustard products, sesame seeds and sesame products, sulphur dioxide and sulphites at levels above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L, lupin and lupin products, and molluscs and their products. People with an allergy or intolerance are advised to re-read the ingredient list on every purchase, even for familiar products, since a manufacturer may change the recipe.

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Eggs placed on the market for human consumption are called Class A table eggs, and the codes on their shells make the production method and origin traceable. The first digit shows the farming method: 0 means organic production, 1 means free range, 2 means barn (cage free) production and 3 means cage production. This is followed by the country code (TR for Türkiye), the provincial code and a number specific to the establishment; the flock (house) number at the end shows which flock the egg came from. For example, the code 0TR060000060000-01 denotes an egg produced organically at a particular establishment and house in Ankara. These codes are stamped on the shell so as to be easily visible and legible, at least 2 mm high, and for Class A eggs the laying date may also be added voluntarily.

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Do not wash eggs before storing them. Keep them in a cool, dry place, preferably in the refrigerator. Do not use eggs that are cracked or broken. Wash your hands, kitchen utensils and any surfaces that come into contact with eggs thoroughly with hot soapy water. Serve egg dishes as soon as they are cooked instead of leaving them at room temperature.

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Under the Turkish Food Codex, adding sweeteners, colourings and preservatives to fruit juice is prohibited, and added sugar is not permitted either. Fruit juice is made from sound, ripe fruit that is fresh or has been kept under suitable conditions, and its content is essentially similar to juice squeezed at home. The main difference is that the product is given a controlled heat treatment so that it stays safe throughout its shelf life; in other words its keeping quality comes from that process, not from additives. A "fruit drink", by contrast, is a separate product group: it has a lower fruit juice content and may legally contain other ingredients. Reading the product name on the label is therefore the surest way to tell whether you are buying a fruit juice or a fruit drink.

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According to the maximum storage times published by the Ministry, vegetables can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 year, fruit for up to 6 months, bread for up to 3 months and cakes and baked goods without cream for 6-8 months. Milk is given 1 month, grated cheese 4 months, butter 3 months and delicatessen products 1-2 months. Times are longer for meat: raw red meat 4-12 months, cooked red meat 2-3 months, raw poultry meat 9-12 months, cooked poultry meat 4 months and fish (raw or cooked) 2-4 months. Leftover dishes are given 2-4 months. These figures show the maximum time food may stay in the freezer; thawing it properly once it comes out is just as important.

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Beyond the basic mandatory label information, Turkish food legislation requires extra declarations for certain products, depending on what the food contains or how it is produced. The Ministry lists the following cases: foods packaged with certain gases, foods containing sweeteners, foods containing glycyrrhizinic acid or its ammonium salt, foods high in caffeine, foods with added plant sterols or stanols or their esters, foods whose composition includes ethyl alcohol or alcoholic drinks, and foods containing material derived from pork. These extra statements exist so that consumers can choose according to their health condition, sensitivities, beliefs or personal preferences. For a reader who makes choices on the basis of belief, this part of the label therefore matters as much as the ingredient list. If you think required label information is missing, do not buy the product and report it to the Ministry through the Reliable Food mobile application or the ALO 174 Food Line.

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Canning is a heat treatment applied to make food microbiologically safe and to extend its shelf life, and the product is processed in season while still fresh. During the heat treatment there can be partial losses in some vitamins, particularly vitamin C and the B group. Basic nutrients such as protein, calcium, fibre and many minerals are, however, largely preserved. According to the scientific work cited by the Ministry, canned foods produced to proper technique can have nutritional values comparable to fresh or frozen foods. So the belief that canned food loses its nutritional value entirely is widespread but not accurate; canned goods produced under compliant conditions can be part of a balanced diet.

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According to the Ministry, cooking time is related to the bird's breed and age rather than to how natural it is. The breeds widely raised in industry, known as broilers, grow fast and reach slaughter weight in a short time, which is why they cook more easily and quickly. Village chickens are generally not from these fast-growing breeds; in a village setting the bird is first kept for egg production for a long period, so it is slaughtered at an older age. The longer cooking time comes from this difference in age and breed, and is not evidence that the product is more natural.

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The raw materials differ, but both yield white sugar that is chemically the same substance, namely sucrose. Although there are some technical differences in the production processes depending on the raw material, no difference in quality, safety or nutritional value has been reported between beet and cane sugars produced to international standards. The Ministry states that both types are assessed in the same way under the legislation. The idea that cane sugar is more natural or healthier is a common misconception; what matters for health is a balanced intake rather than the source of the sugar. This comparison is not a halal assessment; for the halal status of a specific product, check the manufacturer's halal certificate.

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According to the Ministry, two main raw materials are used for sugar production in Türkiye: sugar beet and maize. Sugar beet yields beet sugar, that is sucrose, while maize is used for starch based sugars such as glucose syrup and isoglucose (high fructose corn syrup, HFCS). This is why the common belief that sugar in Türkiye is made from beet alone is incomplete. Beet sugar and maize based sugars differ in raw material and production method, yet both are produced and placed on the market under the rules and controls set by legislation. This explains the raw material and regulatory side only; it is not a halal assessment, and halal suitability should be checked through the producer's certification.

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Sweetness depends on the amount of sugar, not on crystal size. All white sugar placed on the market is of standard quality, so the same weight of coarse and fine crystal sugar gives the same sweetness and there is no difference between factories. What changes with crystal size is volume: the same weight of coarse crystal sugar takes up more space, while fine crystal sugar takes up less. Household measures such as a teaspoon, a tablespoon or a glass are based on volume rather than weight, so the same spoon can hold different weights of sugar. That is why fine and coarse crystal sugar measured with the same spoon can taste differently sweet.

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Salt is traditionally used in olive production to develop flavour, control fermentation and provide microbial stability; it slows spoilage and helps extend shelf life. As production technology has advanced, however, it has become possible to produce olives with lower salt content or by alternative processing methods. In these methods product safety and quality are maintained through suitable production conditions and control processes. The amount of salt used can vary with the olive variety, the production method and the intended product characteristics. So it is not correct to assume that olive production always requires a very high amount of salt.

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Not always. The bitter taste of olives comes from phenolic compounds that occur naturally in the fruit, above all oleuropein; an olive can contain more than twenty different phenolic compounds. Freshly picked olives are far too bitter to eat, so processing reduces part of these compounds and makes the fruit edible. Phenolic compounds are part of the natural structure of the olive and are associated with antioxidant properties, which means olives with a slight bitterness may retain more of them. The absence of bitterness therefore does not on its own indicate higher quality; taste and personal preference are decisive when choosing olives.

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No. A dark olive pit is related to the ripeness of the fruit. As the olive ripens on the tree, the phenolic compounds it naturally contains move inward starting from the skin; as ripening progresses these natural compounds can reach the pit and darken its colour. A black pit therefore points to the natural ripening process, not to the use of dye. The overall colour of an olive can also vary with ripeness, variety and the processing method applied. The separate question of why olive flesh turns black is covered in another entry.

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Yes, a limit is set by legislation. Standard bread, bran bread, bread made with wholemeal flour, wholemeal bread and sourdough bread may be placed on the market at a minimum of 200 grams and in increments of 10 grams. The aim of the rule is to prevent consumers from being misled, to provide a nationwide standard in bread production and to reduce bread waste. Wherever bread is sold, its weight must be clearly stated so that consumers are informed correctly. If the weight is not stated or bread is sold contrary to the legislation, the matter can be reported to the competent authorities.

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The numbers inside the triangular recycling symbol on plastic food packaging indicate which raw material the plastic is made from. In other words, the figure is information about the type of material, not a grade of quality, safety or healthiness. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, this numbering is a voluntary practice and the subject falls within the remit of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. For that reason, no conclusion about the safety or the halal status of the food inside the pack can be drawn from the number in the triangle.