27.07.2025 13:47
The "QR code application," initiated to allow consumers to track the inspection status of food businesses, will be mandatory for use in sales and mass consumption establishments starting tomorrow. Businesses that do not implement the application following complaints or as a result of routine inspections conducted by the Ministry will face monetary fines.
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The QR code application for food businesses was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry last year.
Thanks to the application, consumers can easily access the inspection history of food businesses at places like supermarkets, butchers, greengrocers, and collective consumption places such as restaurants and cafes.
As of tomorrow, the application will become mandatory in sales and collective consumption places. Food sales and collective consumption businesses that have been using this system voluntarily so far will be required to keep the QR code they created specifically for themselves in a visible place for consumers.
CONSUMERS WILL SCAN THE QR CODE WITH THE APPLICATION
Consumers will scan this QR code available at food sales and collective consumption places using the "Agriculture in My Pocket" application they downloaded on their mobile devices. Thus, the registration/approval number, title, and address information of the business, as well as the date of the last inspection conducted here, will be visible.
The application aims to ensure that consumers have access to safe food, protect their interests, and increase the visibility of the official controls carried out by the Ministry.
BUSINESSES WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE QR CODES FOR FREE
Çiğdem Kurtar, the Responsible of the Plant Foods Working Group at the General Directorate of Food and Control under the Ministry, stated that they have adopted the principle of transparency in food controls, and in this context, the results of official controls are shared with consumers, noting that the application was launched in June 2024 and has been used on a voluntary basis so far.
Pointing out that they have categorized food businesses as "production," "sales," and "collective consumption," Kurtar said, "The application continues to be voluntary in production businesses. The application will be mandatory in sales businesses like supermarkets and butchers, and in collective consumption businesses like restaurants and cafes. Business operators can create their QR codes instantly, 24/7, without any application, payment, or bureaucratic process by entering their tax and ID numbers along with the business registration number they received from our Ministry on the QR code creation section at 'guvenilirgida.tarimorman.gov.tr'."
Kurtar emphasized that it would be sufficient for business operators to display the visual they created in a place visible to consumers, stating that consumers encountering the visual would understand that the business is registered and inspected by the Ministry. Kurtar mentioned that if consumers detect any non-compliance after scanning the QR code, they can report it to the "Alo 174 Food Line."
"BUSINESSES THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE APPLICATION WILL BE FINED"
Kurtar stated that businesses that do not comply with the application will be fined as a result of complaints or routine inspections conducted by the Ministry, and added:
"In the controls of food, we take samples in sterile packaging, check the samples with a laser thermometer, conduct inspections at the DNA level in measurements and samples, and use high technology. We kindly ask our consumers to follow our website 'guvenilirgida.tarimorman.gov.tr' and our 'Agriculture in My Pocket' application for the new information activities we will carry out. Remember, the best inspector is the consumer themselves. Ultimately, we are all consumers. The feeling of safety in food and knowing that the business is inspected creates significant satisfaction."
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