07.03.2025 10:52
The Ministry of Trade requested a written defense from food critic Vedat Milor, who visited the Üsküdar City Restaurant affiliated with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and shared a video of it on YouTube, on the grounds of "covert advertising." Responding to the situation, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu stated, "First, they mocked it, then they belittled it, and now they are targeting those who go there. It's a shame."
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The General Directorate of Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance, affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, has launched an investigation into the video titled "4 Dishes for 40 Lira: Is This Price Real?" published on food critic Vedat Milor's YouTube channel, on the grounds that it constitutes a violation of the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices. According to information reported by Oda TV, the ministry requested a written defense from the famous gourmet.
In the request letter, it was stated, "It is necessary to know whether the said promotions have been published in other media organizations, and if so, in which media organizations and on what dates they were published, the originals of those published in the written press, audio and video recordings of those published in the verbal and visual media, the name of your Tax Office and, if any, your organization's tax identification number, if any, your registered electronic mail (KEP) address, your official notification address information, and if any, your organization's open title, a copy of the activity certificate of the registered professional chamber, and a copy of the company's articles of association, and a document showing your income status (a copy of the most recent annual tax declaration and its accompanying income statement, balance sheet, etc.) is required."
POSITIVE STATEMENTS WERE CITED AS JUSTIFICATION
According to the Ministry of Trade, the positive statements about Kent Lokantası in Milor's video and the detailed information about the restaurant were evaluated as potentially constituting a "covert advertisement." The ministry cited the condition that for a social media content to be considered a commercial advertisement, the person publishing the content must have received a material or in-kind benefit as a justification for the investigation.
İMAMOĞLU: NOW THEY ARE DEALING WITH THOSE WHO GO
İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who shared on social media regarding the issue, stated, "I learned that an investigation has been opened against some writers who went to Kent Lokantası. First, they mocked, then they belittled, and now they are dealing with those who go. It's a shame. These restaurants are the palaces of the poor, the low-income, and the retirees. More will open."
ÖZGÜR ÖZEL: MAY GOD AMEND THEM
Özgür Özel, the CHP Chairman, who was a guest on NOW TV with İlker Karagöz, also reacted to the investigation opened against Milor. Speaking live, Özel stated, "May God amend them. There is a queue in front of Kent Lokantası. We can't keep up... Those who really need to benefit from Kent Lokantası should benefit. Kent Lokantası does not need advertising; there is already a queue in front of it," he said.
MILOR HAD SAID "I HAVE NOT RECEIVED PAYMENT FROM ANY INSTITUTION"
Vedat Milor, in a statement on his social media account regarding similar allegations raised after his visit with Buğra Gökçe, the President of the Istanbul Planning Agency, said, "As both a food critic and a sociologist, I wanted to evaluate this service from a gastronomic and sociological perspective. I have not received payment from any institution. From now on, I will resort to legal means against such baseless accusations," he stated.
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