Food Safety Records in Turkey: Laws, Inspections and Records

Turkish food safety records explained: the law, Ministry inspections, registration, allergen rules, the records inspectors ask for and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Turkey need food safety records? Yes. Turkish food law asks every food business to run a food safety system based on HACCP principles and to keep records for an appropriate period. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı) inspects food businesses through its provincial and district directorates. Turkey has no public hygiene rating or sticker. This page explains the Turkish rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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This page covers Türkiye. Every fact below comes from an official source, linked in the text and at the end. Where we could not confirm something officially, we say so and leave it out. The Chef Hygiene app works in Turkish, so your staff can record checks in their own language.

The law: what every Turkish food business must do
Who inspects you, and how often
No public rating
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in Turkey
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

1. The law: what every Turkish food business must do

The main laws. Law No. 5996 on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed (Resmi Gazete 13 June 2010, no. 27610), the Food Hygiene Regulation (Gıda Hijyeni Yönetmeliği), and the Turkish Food Codex (Türk Gıda Kodeksi) (Law 5996, mevzuat.gov.tr; Food Hygiene Regulation, FAOLEX).
Register with the Ministry. A food business registers with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and receives a business registration certificate (İşletme Kayıt Belgesi) (Ministry, General Directorate of Food and Control). We could not confirm the exact steps or timing on an official page, so ask your provincial directorate.
A HACCP-based system. Under Article 22 of the Food Hygiene Regulation, the operator sets up, applies and keeps procedures based on HACCP principles. Records are kept "for an appropriate period". The regulation gives no fixed number of years.
Temperatures. The Food Hygiene Regulation asks you to keep the cold chain and to control and record temperatures. We could not find fixed temperature numbers for restaurants in it, so this page gives none. Ask your directorate if you need a number for a special product.
Staff training. Under Article 21, food handlers must be supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene for the work they do, and the people who run the HACCP system must be trained in HACCP.
Staff who are ill. Staff with an illness that can pass through food, or infected wounds, must report it to the operator. We could not confirm the rule on medical certificates for food workers, so ask your directorate.
Allergens. The Turkish Food Codex regulation on food labelling and consumer information (Resmi Gazete 29960, 26 January 2017) covers allergens. For food that is not prepacked and is served to the final customer in mass catering places, Article 15(5) says the required information must be easily visible and legible through menus, boards or similar means. It names written means, not spoken ones. The allergen list follows the same 14 groups as the EU (regulation text, Resmi Gazete).
Online and delivery orders. Article 17(3) says that when catering places sell by distance means, the same Article 15(5) information must be available the same way.

2. Who inspects you, and how often

The Ministry. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry inspects food businesses through its provincial and district directorates.
After a visit. We could not confirm an official description of the report or deadlines, so we do not give one.
How often. We could not confirm an official fixed visit schedule, so we do not give one.
Penalties. Law 5996 has administrative fines. We could not read the current amounts on an official page, so we give none. Ask your directorate.

3. No public rating

No rating. We found no public hygiene rating, sticker or score for restaurants in Turkey, and nothing that has to be displayed.
What this means for you. There is no score to improve, so your records matter in other ways. They show an inspector that your system works every day.

4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for records that fit your business. In practice, a food business can expect to be asked to show:

Your HACCP-based system and its records (Food Hygiene Regulation, Article 22).
Temperature checks for fridges, freezers and hot food, because the regulation asks you to control and record temperatures.
Training records for staff (Article 21).
Cleaning records.
Supplier and delivery records for traceability.
Allergen information for the food you serve, in writing.
Your business registration certificate (İşletme Kayıt Belgesi).

How long to keep them. The regulation says only "an appropriate period". We could not confirm a fixed number of years.

5. Where businesses go wrong

Common record problems are easy to picture:

Gaps. Days with no checks written down.
A plan that doesn't match the kitchen. A system on paper that staff do not follow.
No action recorded. A reading that looks wrong, with nothing written about what was done.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but nothing proves it.
Allergens only by word of mouth. For catering places, the Turkish regulation names menus, boards and similar means.
Not registered. Operating without the Ministry's registration.

6. By type of business

We could not confirm separate official rules for each type of business, so the notes below show what the general rules mean in practice.

Restaurant: daily temperature checks, cleaning, deliveries, training records, and written allergen information.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information for food sold by distance means (Article 17(3)).
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and written allergen information for sandwiches, salads and cakes.
Bakery / cake shop: written allergen information for every product, display temperatures for cream cakes, and labels for prepacked goods.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer temperatures, and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same records as a restaurant for the food you serve.
Community hall / venue: check with your directorate whether you must register; keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen information for food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: temperature and cleaning records, and careful allergen records.
Caterer / food van: register with the Ministry and keep your records with you.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm the Turkish rules for home food businesses, so ask your provincial directorate before you start.

7. Why digital records help in Turkey

Paper or digital. We could not find an official Turkish page that says digital records are accepted or not, so ask your directorate if you are unsure. The law asks for records kept for an appropriate period, without naming a format.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day, not at the next inspection.
Problems come with their fix. When a reading is out of range, the record can ask what you did about it.
Nothing is lost. No wet, greasy or missing pages.
Ready for the inspector. You can show everything at once, instead of looking for folders.
Every staff member can take part. Staff can record checks on a phone or tablet, in Turkish or their own language.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Turkish rules above. What it does:

Daily checks for fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding, cooling, cleaning and deliveries, with the time, the staff member's name and photos. Saved records cannot be changed; corrections are added as new records.
Your country's rules built in.
Food safety plan. About 20 minutes: answer questions, check each method, sign it, set a review date and print it. Earlier versions are kept.
Ready for inspection? Checks your last 4 weeks of records the way an inspector would and shows how many are ready.
Inspector's visits log. Write down each visit: date, type and officer.
Practice inspection. A free walk round of about 10 minutes, with questions for your type of business and a "Put it right" list. Turkey has no public rating, so it shows no score card.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the 14 allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for food prepacked for direct sale, with allergens in bold.
Staff training records.
Inspector pack. Print all your records as one pack, or share them by secure link.
40 languages. Staff can use the app in their own language, including Turkish.

9. A fair price, on purpose

Chef Hygiene costs about €2.99 a month per site (about €1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops), shown in Turkish lira in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

We keep the price low on purpose. We want as many food businesses as possible, from a single food van to a busy restaurant, to keep good records and pass inspections.

10. Less paper

A paper diary means printed sheets every day. One daily sheet per kitchen is 365 sheets a year, before you count delivery forms, cleaning rotas and training records. Digital records mean no record books to buy and fewer printed forms to throw away. That is less paper and less waste, and nothing to store in a back office.

11. FAQ

Do I legally need food safety records in Turkey?

Yes. You need a system based on HACCP principles, and records kept for an appropriate period (Food Hygiene Regulation, Article 22).

Who inspects restaurants in Turkey?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, through its provincial and district directorates.

Do I have to register my food business?

Yes. Register with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and get the business registration certificate (İşletme Kayıt Belgesi). Ask your provincial directorate for the steps.

Is there a hygiene rating in Turkey?

We found no public rating or sticker for restaurants.

Are inspections announced?

We could not confirm an official rule on this, so ask your directorate.

How much is the fine?

Law 5996 has administrative fines. We could not read the current amounts on an official page, so we give none.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

We could not find an official Turkish page that says so directly. The regulation asks for records kept for an appropriate period without naming a format. Ask your directorate if you are unsure.

How long must I keep my records?

The regulation says "an appropriate period". We could not confirm a fixed number of years.

What temperature must my fridge be?

The Food Hygiene Regulation asks you to keep the cold chain and to control and record temperatures. We could not find fixed numbers for restaurants in it.

Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

Staff must be supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene for their work, and the people who run the HACCP system must be trained in HACCP (Article 21). We could not confirm a separate certificate rule.

Do food workers need a medical certificate?

We could not confirm this officially, so ask your directorate. Staff with an illness that can pass through food must report it to the operator.

Can staff work when they are ill?

Staff with an illness that can pass through food, or infected wounds, must report it to the operator (Article 21).

What allergen information do I need?

For non-prepacked food in mass catering places, the information must be easily visible and legible through menus, boards or similar means (Article 15(5)). The list follows the EU 14 allergens.

Can I just tell customers about allergens when they ask?

The regulation names menus, boards and brochure-like means, not spoken information. Use written information.

Does the allergen rule apply to delivery and online orders?

Article 17(3) says catering places selling by distance means must make the same information available the same way.

Do I need to register a food van or a home business?

Food businesses register with the Ministry. We could not confirm separate rules for vans or home businesses, so ask your provincial directorate.

Are there separate rules for each business type?

The general rules apply to food businesses. We could not confirm separate official rules by type.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Turkey?

About €2.99 a month per site (about €1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops), shown in Turkish lira in your app store, with unlimited staff, no contract and a 14-day free trial.

Does the app work in Turkish?

Yes. Staff can use Chef Hygiene in Turkish, and in 40 languages in total.

12. Official sources

Chef Hygiene keeps your Turkish food safety records ready for every inspection: