Agriculture Ministry bans pistachios, cheese, and smoking in soudjouk and pastirma

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has restructured the Turkish Food Code Meat Notification, completely banning the use of seasonings such as pistachios and cheese in traditional soudjouk, pastirma, and kavurma; smoking procedures have also been discontinued.

Restrictions have been imposed on filler materials that increase product weight, such as starch, soya, and dietary fiber. The addition of external nitrogen and protein sources — except for those required by the natural structure of meat or technological necessities such as milk, eggs, and yogurt — has also been prohibited.

A new transparency requirement has taken effect for döner labels: producers are now obligated to clearly write on packaging "sheet döner", "sheet-ground döner", or "ground döner" depending on production technique. The notification amendment 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 soudjouk mixed with soya and starch — will now encounter legal barriers at the production stage. The Meat Notification was last comprehensively amended in 2018; that regulation introduced labeling requirements but did not make content restrictions binding.