Food Legislation Services

Statutory Scope & Legal Architecture

The importation and marketing of foodstuffs in Turkey are strictly governed by Statutory Law No. 5996 on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed, as well as the Turkish Food Codex (TGK) Regulations. Border clearance requires prior coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Border Inspection Posts (BIP / Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktaları), and accredited provincial food control laboratories.

Topraklar’s specialized Food Legislation Department conducts comprehensive pre-import formula assessments to verify that all ingredients, additives, colorants, and heavy metal residues adhere strictly to permissible threshold values before containers depart the port of origin.

Key Operational Competencies:

• Labeling & Codex Assessment: Auditing Turkish language nutrition declarations, allergy warnings, and batch coding according to TGK Labeling Regulation.
• Official Health Certificate Verification: Pre-checking veterinary health certificates, sanitary certificates, and free sale certificates issued by competent foreign state authorities.
• GMO (GDO) Risk Screening: Pre-testing soy, corn, and derivative ingredients under the Biosafety Law to ensure zero unauthorized transgenic events.
• Physical Border Sampling: Representing the importer during official sealing and sample collection at port warehouses by Ministry inspectors.

Step-by-Step Food Import Inspection Roadmap