MÜMSAD's Recommendations on Food Safety

Speculative statements from non-food experts and heavy information pollution on social media are creating question marks in consumers' minds about food safety. Ebru Akdağ, General Coordinator of the Kitchen Products and Margarine Manufacturers Association (MÜMSAD) and Food Engineer, stated that the association closely follows scientific developments and global health trends, and is conducting multifaceted efforts to combat information pollution concerning food safety. Akdağ, noting that food inspection in Turkey is far more extensive than in many other countries and has particularly increased in recent years, made the following remarks on the subject: "Food is a broad field where each component requires expertise. Even though I am a Food Engineer, I do not believe it is correct to speak about areas outside my expertise. On the other hand, I am also a consumer and I listen to specialists in those fields for matters I am curious about. Therefore, I recommend that you pay attention to the explanations of those who are experts in the subject, not those who claim to know everything." Reliable food is found in packaged foods with recognized brands. Emphasizing that these are foods produced in compliance with relevant legal regulations, within the scope of quality management systems and subject to inspection mechanisms, Akdağ stated, "In contrast, foods sold openly or packaged foods that do not comply with required rules—what we call under-the-table products with unknown brands—are risky. For this reason, stay away from uncontrolled products sold openly outside the inspection system and unknown brand foods sold at suspiciously low prices."

"Read Labels and Look for the Trans Fat Free Logo"

Akdağ emphasized that packaged food labels contain information that affects our purchasing decisions, unlike open-market products, and pointed out that the "trans fat free" logo is an example of this. Noting that work on trans fat-free margarine production in our country began in the 2000s, Ebru Akdağ stated: "The Turkish margarine sector, under MÜMSAD leadership, voluntarily solved the issue of eliminating trans fats—a topic on the world agenda—and achieved an exemplary success story globally. Thus, our margarine industry moved to a trans fat-free era 11 years ahead of the USA and 14 years ahead of the EU. To inform consumers, since 2008, these products have carried a 'trans fat free' logo. Here is another reason for you to prefer packaged foods." she said. Referring to the importance of reading labels, Akdağ stated, "It is the primary responsibility of all of us as consumers to check the information on the packaged foods we buy—the quantities of nutrients, production and expiration dates, and whether they contain allergens. Let us not forget that the real decision-makers are informed consumers. Particularly, women, who generally play a determining role in household food shopping, bear great responsibility in this regard." she said.