Turkish food contact materials regulation

Türkiye's food contact materials regulation (Gıda ile Temas Eden Madde ve Malzemeler Yönetmeliği), issued under the Turkish Food Codex by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, sets general rules for all materials, including packaging, that come into contact with food. It is largely aligned with the EU framework regulation.

Core principle

Under normal and foreseeable use, materials must not transfer substances to food in amounts that endanger health, change its composition unacceptably, or spoil its taste or smell. This applies to plastic, paper, aluminium and combined flexible packaging alike.

What it covers

• General safety requirements and limiting migration
• Labelling with "for food contact" or the glass-and-fork symbol, plus safe use instructions where needed
• Declarations of compliance for materials with specific rules
• Traceability through the supply chain and good manufacturing practice

Plastics

A separate Turkish Food Codex regulation on plastics, aligned with EU 10/2011, sets authorised substances, migration limits and test conditions.

Food businesses should request an up-to-date declaration of compliance and relevant test reports from their packaging supplier, and check the current official text, as the legislation is updated from time to time.