BİTKİDEN Begins Operations

Plant-Based Foods Association Launches Operations

The association aims to develop projects through collaboration with international stakeholders and position plant-based foods at the centre of food system transformation through a sustainable and scientific approach.

A scientific, collaborative, sustainable, holistic and systematic approach is needed for food system transformation in the interest of our planet and humanity. This approach requires increasing awareness and innovation in plant-based foods. As demand and production of plant-based foods increase, so does hope for a sustainable future.

The Plant-Based Foods Association (BİTKİDEN), which became operational in December 2022 with the goal of playing a pioneering role in Turkey on this subject, aims to place plant-based foods at the centre of food system transformation through a sustainable and scientific approach. Emphasising the importance of plant-based foods for sustainability, BİTKİDEN aims to uncover Turkey's plant-based food potential.

Ebru Akdağ, Chair of the BİTKİDEN Association Board, stated that the association's vision is to be a pioneering and leading association for all stakeholders in the field by focusing on sustainable nutrition in order to benefit people and our planet.

Akdağ said, "We aim to bring together all stakeholders contributing to a sustainable plant-based nutrition system under our roof and lead the transformation towards plant-based foods, create interest and awareness among consumers, shape relevant policies, and encourage the stakeholders under our roof to conduct scientific research and innovation in plant-based foods." She added:

"All trends in the food sector show that the future lies in plant-based foods. It is crucial that our country, an important player in the production of plant-based foods, not only benefits from this trend but becomes the trendsetter."

Ebru Akdağ, noting that BİTKİDEN will take a pioneering role in contributing to regulatory preparations needed on the sustainability of plant-based foods and raising awareness among consumers, continued as follows:

"In order to create a more visionary initiative on issues concerning public health and the environment, we are beginning our journey with global knowledge as members of the International Plant-Based Foods Working Group (IPBFWG) and the European Plant-Based Foods Association (EAPF). Our goal is to place plant-based foods at the centre of food system transformation through a sustainable and scientific approach," she said.

Akdağ noted that we are entering a new period in which plant-based foods are being defined globally and said, "In order to explain the importance of plant-based foods and increase their credibility, we are preparing to establish a multidisciplinary scientific board by bringing together experts from different disciplines.

We aim to establish partnerships with financial institutions for sustainability and to guide start-up ventures. Honest competition, science-based objectivity, joint action towards targets, serving the public interest and the pursuit of innovative and effective solutions form the core principles of our association," she stated.