Ministry Sets New Standards for Drinking Milk

September 17, 2026 · Gazete Oksijen

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has limited drinking milk fat classification to four categories and completely banned the use of glucose and fructose syrups.

The Regulation Amending the Turkish Food Codex Drinking Milk Regulation, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has been published in the Official Gazette and officially entered into force. In a written statement on the matter, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced that fundamental changes have been made to ensure food safety, prevent consumer deception, and curb unfair competition within the sector. As part of the regulation, the definition of milk-based beverages, previously included in the old regulation, has been completely removed from the legislation.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı explained the rationale behind removing the definition with the following words:

With the amendment to the regulation, intermediate categories that caused confusion in the fat classification of drinking milk in the market have been eliminated. According to the regulation made by the Ministry, products can now only be offered to the market in four main categories: full-fat, high-fat, low-fat, and skimmed. The labeling of arbitrary fat percentages that could mislead consumers has been prohibited.

Emphasizing that this classification will provide transparency for consumers, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı made the following assessment:

The new regulation introduces concrete ratio limits for the first time to increase the quality of ingredients in flavored and seasoned milks. The total flavoring content in seasoned drinking milks has been set at a minimum of 1% by mass. The added sugar content has been limited to a maximum of 5% by mass, and the total sugar content to a maximum of 9.5%.

Minister Yumaklı stated that the sugar to be used is limited to semi-white, white, and extra white sugar types listed in the Turkish Food Codex Sugar Regulation and announced that the use of glucose and fructose syrups, other than sucrose, in drinking milk is completely banned.

The conditions for using the term 'natural' on product labels have also been clarified with the regulation. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced the scope of the regulation and the transition timeline with the following statements:

Türkçe