Ministry Sets New Standards for Meat Products

September 16, 2026 · 24saatgazetesi.com

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has renewed its communique on meat and meat products, completely overhauling production and labeling criteria for everything from döner to sucuk, minced meat to meatballs.

The Turkish Food Codex Communique on Meat, Prepared Meat Mixtures, and Meat Products, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has been officially published in the Official Gazette issue numbered 33372 and has come into effect. With the legislation that completely updates the production and market supply criteria for raw meat, minced meat, prepared meat mixtures, and processed meat products, the old communique dated January 29, 2019, has been repealed. Existing food businesses operating within the scope of the new regulation have been granted a transition period until March 31, 2027, to comply with the criteria. The Ministry announced that products produced before this date can remain on sale until their shelf life expires.

The balance between leaf and minced meat in döner varieties produced from red meat and poultry meat has been reclassified by the Ministry. For red meat döner, it is now mandatory for minced döner to consist of a maximum of 90% minced meat and at least 10% leaf meat, while leaf-minced döner must consist of at least 60% leaf meat and a maximum of 40% minced meat. The fat content in raw red meat döner has been set at a maximum of 25% by mass, salt content at a maximum of 2%, and protein content at a minimum of 12%. For poultry döner, the fat content is a maximum of 15%, and protein is at least 14%. The sales period for raw döner hung on the spit has been limited to 12 hours from the start of cooking.

In meatballs and burger-type red meat mixtures produced from minced meat, the meat protein content is set at a minimum of 10%, fat content at a maximum of 25% by mass, and salt content at a maximum of 2%. For poultry meatballs, the fat content is a maximum of 15%, and the collagen connective tissue protein content is a maximum of 10%. In retail butcher shops and supermarkets, the pre-grinding and storage of minced meat, poultry mince, and meat mixtures have been prohibited, requiring them to be prepared only upon consumer demand. Only daily uncooked meatballs and regionally prepared products like Kilis tava and paper kebab are allowed to be prepared daily on retail counters.

For fermented sucuk, the total meat protein content is set at a minimum of 15% and a maximum pH of 5.4; for heat-treated sucuk, the protein content is at least 13% and the pH is a maximum of 5.6. For pastirma, the moisture content is a maximum of 50%, and salt in dry matter is a maximum of 10%. For kavurma, moisture is a maximum of 45%, salt is a maximum of 3%, and fat content is a maximum of 30%. The use of flavoring agents that impart meat aroma in all products within the scope of the communique is prohibited. The use of smoke flavor and dietary fiber in sucuk, pastirma, kavurma, and döner has been banned, and it has been stipulated that no food additives can be added to kavurma.

With the new regulation, the use of mechanically separated red meat in any meat product has been definitively prohibited. The use of mechanically separated poultry meat is limited solely to poultry emulsified meat products such as sausages and salamis, and the calcium content in these products cannot exceed 750 mg/kg. In tongue sausage, offal cannot be mixed in any way with basic products like sucuk, pastirma, kavurma, meatballs, and döner, except for legally compliant head meat in tongue and emulsified products. A strict ban on mixing carcass meats from different animal species has also come into effect.

To prevent misleading consumers, the use of phrases and logos such as '%100', '%100 Beef', or '%100 Breast Meat' on labels, including brand names, has been completely banned. In minced meat packaging, the fat and collagen content must be written in a font size at least two-thirds the size of the product name. For raw poultry meat packaging, the warning 'Central temperature must reach at least 72 °C during cooking' is mandatory. In emulsified products, if head meat or mechanically separated poultry meat is used, it must be clearly declared on the label in a specified font size.

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