Turkey Amends Regulations on Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food

Turkey has introduced significant amendments to its regulations governing plastic materials and articles in contact with food. The changes have been made to align with the 2020/1245/EU and 2023/1442/EU amendments of the EU Regulation 10/2011/EU. The Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food, originally notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under reference G/SPS/N/TUR/105 in November 2018, has been updated to ensure food safety and compliance with international standards.

The key revisions involve the modification of some monomers and starting substances used in the production of plastic materials and articles intended for food contact. Additionally, changes have been made to migration test rules, aimed at improving the overall safety of food packaging materials.

The amended regulation came into force immediately upon its publication. However, a transitional period has been established through Provisional Article 2, which outlines the following key points:

1. Workplaces involved in the production, import, and sale of products within the scope of this Communiqué must comply with the newly introduced amendments by January 1, 2026.

2. Products that were placed on the market before January 1, 2026, and do not conform to the changes made in the Communiqué may continue to be available on the market until January 1, 2028.