The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry censured 11 companies on Tuesday for deceiving customers about the content of their products, the latest crackdown this year against producers who have violated industry standards.
The ministry alleges that some of the 11 companies added donkey, horse, poultry and pork additives to their beef products, while others added plant-based oils to dairy products such as butter, yoghurt and cheese.
All 11 firms failed to pass laboratory tests which analyzed the companies’ products and compiled the findings in a report released by the ministry on Tuesday. The companies face fines for violating industry standards in excess of TL 11,000 each.
Among those cited for violations was industry giant Pınar, whose “100 percent beef hotdogs” the ministry says contain poultry products. Pınar disputed the claim on Tuesday evening, stating in a press release that the company had verified the “100 percent beef” content of its hotdogs through independent testing.
Also accused of mixing other meats in with products advertised as beef is the İzmir-based restaurant chain Milenyum Pide, whom the ministry accuses of using pork additives in two of its meat-topped pita selections. Sarkarya’s Nazifoğlu foods and Afyonkarahisar’s Çiftarslanlı, meanwhile, are accused of using donkey, horse and poultry meat in their beef, while the Manisa-based Özok foods is accused of adding poultry additives to its beef.
Dairy producers were also at the center of the ministry’s investigation, with the Antalya-based Akdeniz dairy and Mardin-based Onurköy dairy accused of adding vegetable oil and gelatins to their yoghurts.
Antalya’s Elmalı farms was meanwhile accused
of adding vegetable oil to its butter, while the Afyonkarahisar-based Ilgaz Yaylası dairy and Konya’s Bacanaklar Güldem were accused of adding vegetable oil and synthetic starches to their cheese products. Adana’s Balderesi honey was accused of adding fructose syrup and starches to its honey products.
Ministry regulation on the rise
Tuesday’s announcement follows similar crackdowns on other violators of food regulations in previous months, with the ministry announcing in April the names of six manufacturers which had variously added vegetable oil to cheese, horsemeat to beef products and poultry and other unidentifiable tissue as well as internal organs to hotdogs and sausages. Industry regulators also expressed concern at the time that some poultry additives used by those violating the regulations included a potentially unsanitary mix of minced chicken bone and skin.
In March, the ministry fined five honey producers and claimed it would ban the sale of honey by three brands — Bal Teknesi, Osmanlı Bal Evi and Balderesi — though the latter was again included on Tuesday’s list of companies violating regulations.
Source Zaman .
