03.02.2026 19:42
After feeling unwell and being hospitalized following the toast they ate at a chain restaurant in the Yomra district of Trabzon, the Çolak couple is preparing to take their experience to court after a formal inspection revealed expired products at the establishment. Fatih and Leman Banu Çolak decided to initiate legal proceedings after their complaint led to an investigation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which documented the irregularities.
Fatih Çolak and his wife Leman Banu Çolak, who are known for cultivating heirloom seeds and live in the Arsin district of Trabzon, began experiencing nausea and discomfort after eating toast at a chain restaurant in the Yomra district. Following this, the Çolak couple consulted their family doctor and returned home after receiving medication.
WHEN THEY GOT SICK AGAIN, THEY RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL ONCE MORE However, after Leman Banu Çolak's discomfort increased during the night, they went to Kanuni Training and Research Hospital. After receiving treatment until the morning hours, Çolak went to Karadeniz Technical University Farabi Hospital shortly after being discharged when their complaints increased again. Çolak, who was treated there, was discharged after the intervention.
THE TRUTH EMERGED WITH THEIR COMPLAINTS After the incident, the Çolak family filed a complaint with the relevant authorities. Following the complaint, an investigation was initiated at the establishment by teams from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Inspections revealed that expired products were used in the restaurant.
In a written response to Fatih Çolak, the Ministry stated that inspections related to food safety are conducted under the Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law No. 5996, and noted, "A formal control was carried out at the establishment on January 28, 2026, based on your registered application. During the inspection, expired products were found at the workplace, and necessary legal actions were taken against the establishment."
"I EXPERIENCED MEMORY LOSS" After regaining their health, the Çolak family stated that they had not been contacted in any way by the chain restaurant named MADO regarding the incident and expressed their intention to take the matter to court. Leman Banu Çolak, stating that they wanted to eat in a well-known and clean place, said, "Normally, we don't prefer to eat out, but we had an urgent matter that day. We thought we would eat in a well-known, reputable, and clean place. We had toast. I felt unwell 2-3 hours later. I went to my family doctor. I received medication there, but it wasn't sufficient. We went to the hospital at night. I don't remember those times at all. After coming home, we went to another hospital again. I received serum and medication again. I also experienced memory loss. I don't remember the first hospital I went to. When my husband fell ill, we called the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on the first day. They kindly went for an inspection. The inspection revealed expired products. It was determined that we were poisoned from the toast we ate. Since that day, the company has not contacted us. We will have a court process from now on," she said.
FATIH ÇOLAK: IT WAS A DIFFICULT PROCESS FOR US Fatih Çolak emphasized that his wife experienced short-term memory loss due to poisoning, saying, "We decided to eat because of the emergency situation. We wanted to have toast. About 3 hours after the meal, my wife went to the family doctor due to complaints like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The family doctor said it could be food poisoning. We used the medications. During the night, my wife became weak. She couldn't get up from where she was lying. We thought this couldn't go on and went to the hospital. They took care of us at Kanuni Training and Research Hospital until the morning hours. Once my wife recovered, we were discharged. Then she fell ill again. This time we went to KTÜ Farabi Hospital. They treated her there as well. During our conversation, I realized she didn't remember the first hospital we went to. It was a difficult process for us," he said.
"WE THOUGHT WE SHOULD PREFER A REPUTABLE PLACE, BUT WE WERE WRONG" "We had no expectations, but we waited that maybe they would call and apologize. We expected a reasonable explanation. No one has contacted us in any way," Çolak said, "We want this not to happen. We want businesses to be unable to do this anymore on behalf of society. We want businesses to be careful about this issue. Very simple precautions. No one would feed an expired product to their child. It saddens me morally that they would serve products they wouldn't feed to their own children to their customers. I hope businesses learn the necessary lessons. My wife needed to take medication. Therefore, we thought we should eat something that could be prepared quickly. We decided to prefer a reputable place instead of those so-called underground businesses. It turns out we were wrong. We want people to be able to trust brands. What upsets us the most is that the business has not gotten back to us. When this news first came out, I specifically didn't want the brand name to be mentioned. We had no expectations, but we waited that maybe they would call and apologize. We expected a reasonable explanation. No one has contacted us in any way," he expressed.
"WE WILL TAKE ALL NECESSARY LEGAL STEPS" Çolak stated that they would take the matter to court, saying, "It is not necessary for us to show sensitivity to this issue and to carry it out legally. It is a necessary situation on behalf of society. What happened to us has happened. Thank God we got through it. From now on, there needs to be a cost for this so that it doesn't happen to others. There are constantly poisoning cases reported in the media. We have seen that businesses do not take precautions despite seeing these news. Seeing this, we cannot leave this matter as it is. We will take all necessary legal steps for malicious businesses in this sector to get their act together."