Istanbul, February 4 – With the holy month of Ramadan approaching, authorities in Istanbul have significantly stepped up their efforts to ensure food safety and prevent price gouging. Teams from the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, along with the Provincial Directorate of Commerce, have launched a comprehensive inspection campaign across the city, involving more than 800 personnel.
Intensified Inspections Cover Wide Range of Areas
The inspections are focusing on various aspects of the food supply chain. Personnel from the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry are meticulously examining businesses’ registration documents, QR codes, labeling information of food products, and storage conditions during both the storage and sales phases. Simultaneously, teams from the Provincial Directorate of Commerce are targeting potential exorbitant price increases, hoarding, and market-disrupting practices that could disadvantage consumers, particularly concerning basic food items.
Legal actions are being taken against businesses found to be in violation of regulations, including those with non-compliant practices, procedures, or pricing.
Over 230,000 Food Inspections in 2025
Suat Parıldar, Director of the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, provided details on the ongoing city-wide inspections. “We are on the ground in all 39 districts of Istanbul with over 800 food control officers. These inspections are being conducted 24/7,” Parıldar stated. He noted that there are approximately 136,000 food businesses across the city, and in 2025 alone, over 230,000 food inspections were carried out.
Parıldar highlighted that more than 10,000 businesses were found to have non-compliant practices during these inspections, resulting in administrative fines totaling over 620 million Turkish Liras.
Over 8,000 Food Samples Analyzed, 500 Products Sanctioned
As part of their efforts, over 8,000 food samples were collected and analyzed in ministry laboratories based on provincial control plans and as needed during inspections. These analyses led to administrative sanctions being imposed on over 500 products. Furthermore, 290 businesses were ordered to cease operations, and 95 businesses found to be supplying unsafe food that endangered human health were reported to the public prosecutor’s office.
Market Inspections Intensified with Focus on QR Code System
Parıldar also emphasized that inspections are heavily concentrated on markets. “As of today, we are also conducting inspections in markets. Over 25,000 markets operate in Istanbul. In 2025, we conducted over 50,000 food inspections targeting these businesses. We imposed administrative actions on approximately 2,700 businesses based on inspection reports,” he explained.
He added that nearly 20,000 inspections have already been carried out in January of the new year. “As our esteemed Minister always states, we have zero tolerance for food-related issues. We are making intensive efforts to ensure our consumers have access to safe food. Our inspections are currently continuing in all 39 districts.”
Parıldar also drew attention to the importance of the QR code application in inspections. “We transitioned to the QR code application in July 2025. This application is an important part of our understanding that ‘the best inspector is the conscious consumer’.”
The QR code system is actively used in mass retail outlets, markets, restaurants, and cafeterias. “Our consumers can download the ‘Tarım Cebimde’ (Agriculture in My Pocket) application to their phones and scan the QR code to see the business’s address and identification details, along with the last time our control officers inspected that business,” Parıldar elaborated. He stressed that the QR code application is continuously being developed, with ongoing work to further enhance it and provide more information to consumers in the near future.
Commerce Directorate Focuses on Unfair Pricing and Hoarding
Ismail Menteşe, Director of the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Commerce, stated that the Ministry of Commerce is conducting uninterrupted inspections in all 81 provinces concerning issues such as exorbitant prices, price labeling, and hoarding, especially for basic food products. “We are working in coordination with the Directorates of Agriculture and Forestry. We have started our coordinated inspections, which will continue before and throughout the month of Ramadan. These efforts will last until the end of Ramadan. We will implement the necessary administrative procedures based on the deficiencies we identify,” Menteşe said.
46,000 Businesses Inspected, 9 Million Products Examined Last Year
Providing information on inspections conducted in Bayrampaşa, Menteşe noted, “In our examinations of approximately three markets, we found 59 products without price labels and took administrative action. We also identified unreasonable pricing for 11 products and issued unfair price reports. Furthermore, we initiated action for 5 products of fruits and vegetables that lacked product identification tags. In city-wide efforts today, our inspections are continuing with 37 teams and 95 personnel in 28 districts.”
Menteşe also shared inspection data from the previous year, stating that over 46,000 markets and restaurants were inspected throughout 2025. During these inspections, approximately 9 million products were examined. In inspections related to unfair pricing, 79,382 products in 17,509 workplaces were reported to the Ministry.
