Agriculture Ministry Bans Nuts, Cheese, and Smoke Curing in Sucuk and Pastırma

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has reorganized the Turkish Food Code Meat Communiqué, completely banning the use of seasonings such as nuts and cheese in traditional sucuk, pastırma, and kavurma; smoke curing has also been banned.

Restrictions have been imposed on filler substances that increase product weight, such as starch, soy, and dietary fiber. The addition of external nitrogen and protein sources has also been prohibited, except for those arising from the natural structure of meat or technological necessities such as milk, egg, and yogurt.

New transparency requirements for döner labels have come into effect: producers are now required to clearly state on packaging "sheet döner," "sheet-ground döner," or "ground döner" according to their production technique. The communiqué change was stated to have been prepared to prevent unfair competition and consumer deception.

The regulation sets a new standard for the meat sector: low-cost filler practices that have become widespread in the market to date — particularly sucuk mixed with soy and starch — will now face legal barriers at the production stage. The Meat Communiqué was last comprehensively amended in 2018; that regulation introduced labeling requirements but did not make content restrictions binding.