The Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Implementation Procedures for Novel Foods (“Communiqué”), issued pursuant to the Turkish Food Codex Novel Foods Regulation (“Regulation”), regulates the administrative and scientific requirements applicable to the application, notification, and evaluation processes regarding novel foods and traditional foods originating from other countries.
Definitions and Scope
The Communiqué covers the consultation procedure regarding the determination of novel food status, the procedure for authorizing the placing on the market of novel foods and updating the novel foods list upon application by the applicant to the General Directorate, the notification of traditional foods originating from other countries, and the application process for the authorization of traditional foods originating from other countries.
The Communiqué also defines the key concepts to be used in processes regarding novel food applications, namely “application,” “notification,” and “consultation request.”
Consultation Procedure for Determining Novel Food Status
The Communiqué regulates the procedure whereby food business operators who are uncertain whether a food they intend to place on the market falls within the scope of the Regulation may submit a consultation request to the General Directorate of Food and Control (“General Directorate”) for the purpose of determining whether the relevant product qualifies as a novel food. Applications are required to include a petition, a technical dossier, supporting documents, and explanatory notes.
The General Directorate will assess the validity of the application and may request additional information where deemed necessary. It is stipulated that the decision regarding the novel food status shall be issued within four months following the acceptance of the consultation request as valid. This period may be extended by up to four additional months, provided that such extension is justified.
Decisions regarding the determination of novel food status will be published on the website of the General Directorate.
The Communiqué introduces the possibility for applicants to request confidentiality with respect to information contained in application dossiers, the disclosure of which could harm the competitive position of the applicant.
It has been regulated that certain information, such as the name and address of the applicant, product description, and study summaries, shall under no circumstances be considered confidential.
Where an operator has concerns regarding the disclosure of its trade secrets during the process, it may withdraw its consultation request within three weeks following notification, and the relevant information shall remain confidential during this period.
Requirements for Novel Food Applications
The Communiqué sets out in detail the administrative and scientific requirements for applications regarding the authorization of novel foods. In this context, applicants are required to prepare a technical dossier containing contact information of the applicant and the manufacturer, descriptions of the production process, and data enabling a comprehensive risk assessment to be conducted.
The required information includes, among others, data regarding the production process, compositional data, toxicological studies, allergenicity assessments, conditions of use, and expected intake levels. For products containing engineered nanomaterials, the submission of test methods regarding identification and characterization has been made mandatory.
It is stipulated that the preliminary control regarding applications shall be completed within fifteen business days, while the detailed control regarding risk assessment shall be completed within thirty business days. The General Directorate may request additional information from applicants where deemed necessary.
The scientific opinion prepared by the scientific commission covers the identification of the novel food, evaluation of the production process, compositional data, specifications, consumption history, proposed use levels and expected intake, absorption-distribution-metabolism-excretion data, nutritional and toxicological data, allergenicity assessment, and an overall risk assessment highlighting uncertainties and limitations. Where the dietary exposure exceeds the health-based guidance value established in the overall risk assessment, a detailed exposure assessment demonstrating the contribution of each food group to total exposure shall also be included in the scientific opinion.
Procedures Regarding Traditional Foods Originating from Other Countries
The Communiqué regulates the notification and application procedures regarding traditional foods originating from other countries. Applicants are required to submit a technical dossier containing the history of safe consumption, conditions of use, intake levels, and safety assessment of the relevant product.
Both notification and application procedures have been introduced within the scope of the Communiqué. Provided that it is justified that the existing safety assessment will not be affected, it has been allowed not to resubmit certain scientific data in applications regarding amendments to conditions of use, specifications, or labelling requirements.
It is stipulated that the preliminary control shall be completed within fifteen business days, while the detailed review regarding risk assessment shall be completed within thirty business days. The General Directorate may request additional information where deemed necessary.
A reasoned opinion regarding the safety of the relevant traditional food will be prepared by the scientific commission. Where an objection is raised that the relevant product may pose a risk to human health, such objection must be supported with scientific justifications.
Alignment with European Union Legislation
The Communiqué has been prepared within the framework of harmonization with European Union legislation, taking into consideration the Commission Implementing Regulations regarding the determination of novel food status, the administrative and scientific requirements for novel food applications, and the administrative and scientific requirements for traditional foods originating from other countries.
The Communiqué entered into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette dated 20 May 2026 and numbered 33259.
You can access the full text of the Communiqué via this link. (Only available in Turkish)
