Turkey sets phased ban on smoke flavourings, starting October 2026

August 23, 2026 at 10:57 AM2 min

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Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has announced a phased ban on smoke flavourings in food, following EU safety concerns over genotoxicity. The ban begins with other food categories on 1 October 2026, while meat, cheese, and processed fish products have until 1 June 2028. Products already on the market may be sold until their shelf life expires.

Key Facts

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found that genotoxicity concerns could not be ruled out for eight smoke flavourings.
The European Commission removed 10 primary smoke flavourings, SF-001 to SF-010, from its authorised list.
For meat, cheese, and processed fish products, the import and placing on the market of smoke flavourings is allowed until 1 June 2028, with production, import, and placing on the market ending 1 August 2028.
For other food categories, import and placing on the market ends 1 October 2026, business-to-business sales end 1 December 2026, and production, import, and placing on the market are prohibited from 1 January 2027.
Foods placed on the market before the deadlines may remain on shelves until their shelf life expires.

Regulatory Background

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed eight smoke flavourings and could not rule out genotoxicity concerns, meaning potential damage to DNA. Following EFSA's assessment, the European Commission removed 10 primary smoke flavourings, designated SF-001 through SF-010, from its authorised list. Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Food and Control, referenced EU practices to set transition periods for the Turkish market.

Phased Implementation Timeline

For meat and meat products, cheese and cheese products, and processed fish and fishery products, the import and placing on the market of smoke flavourings and preparations is allowed until 1 June 2028. The final deadline for production, import, and placing on the market for this group is 1 August 2028. For all other food categories, import and placing on the market ends on 1 October 2026, and business-to-business sales end on 1 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, production, import, and placing on the market of these other foods with smoke flavourings will no longer be permitted.

Consumer Guidance

Foods placed on the market before the relevant deadlines may continue to be sold until their shelf life expires, meaning some products with smoke flavourings may remain available after the ban dates. Authoritative sources emphasise that traditional smoking methods are not the same as using smoke flavourings. Consumers are advised to check packaging for terms such as "smoked", "füme", or "barbecue" and to look for "smoke flavouring" in the ingredients list.