Whey Protein in Turkey: Labels, Rules and Where It Is Sold
A Turkish whey protein tub, field by field: the ministry's approval list, notices on imitated foods, what karekod means and where tubs are sold.
Table of Contents
A whey protein tub in Türkiye carries the same compulsory label fields as any packaged food. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı) also treats food supplements and sports foods as two separate kinds, and its General Directorate of Food and Control (Gıda ve Kontrol Genel Müdürlüğü, GKGM) publishes a list of approved supplements, notices on imitated foods and a phone app.
In short · checked 01.11.2026
The label lists the same fields as any packaged food, and the ministry publishes the lists to check them against.
- Every prepackaged food carries compulsory fields. Name, ingredients, allergens, net quantity, dates, the business’s name and address, its registration number, a lot number and a nutrition table are among them.
- A food supplement needs the ministry’s approval, product by product. The approved ones are on a list. A product that is not on it counts as not approved as a supplement.
- In the ministry’s terms, a sports food is not a food supplement.
- The ministry publishes notices on imitated and adulterated foods. Reports go through its app or the food line, 174.
What do you want to do?
- The tool
- Turn the sample tub below and read each field. The label fields
- The rules
- What a packaged food must print, and the new rules due by 31.12.2026. Reading the label
- The numbers
- Which number belongs to the product and which to the business. Numbers on a tub
- The list
- Look up an approval number, a product name or a company in the ministry’s list. The approval number
- The note
- Mark lines in the tool and copy a note in Turkish for the seller. The tool
- The shops
- Pages on pharmacies, marketplaces and supermarkets. Who may sell it
- The notices
- The ministry’s page on imitated and adulterated foods. Imitated and adulterated food
- The report
- The app’s report module, or the food line, 174. Report something
- The list
- A product that is not on the approved list. The approval number
Turn the tub · a sample label
The tub on the turntable
A drawn tub with a sample label in Turkish. Turn it, or pick a field: the card gives the Turkish word, its plain meaning and the rule behind it. Lines marked Ask go on a note for the seller.
Sample label, drawn for this page. No real product.
Look up · three places the ministry publishes
The list of approved food supplements.
- The list
- ggbs.tarim.gov.tr: search by company, approval number or product name. The app searches the same list. Supplement page
- Notices
- Gıda Kamuoyu Duyurusu: notices on imitated or adulterated foods. Notices page
- Report
- The app’s Çek, Gönder module, or the food line, Alo 174. The app
1 of 8 · Front · name and net quantity
The name of the food and its net quantity (net miktar), the amount in the tub.
Both are compulsory label information. The new rules put them in the principal field of view (temel görüş alanı), the pack face where the brand is written largest. The deadline is 31.12.2026. Notice of 09.10.2026
2 of 8 · Front · flavour wording
Aromalı (ah-roh-mah-LUH) means flavoured: a flavouring is used instead of the food itself.
Where a flavouring replaces the food, the pack shows a representative picture, not a photo of the real food, and aromalı appears wherever that picture does. For foods that can be mixed up, wording such as … tadında («tasting of …») that points to another food is not allowed. Notice of 09.10.2026
3 of 8 · Supplement field · approval number
The number the ministry gives to a food supplement it has approved. Approval is product by product.
The ministry lists approved supplements. A product that is not on the list counts as not approved as a supplement. Sports foods (sporcu gıdaları) are not food supplements. Notice of 10.02.2026 · Supplement page
4 of 8 · Business number · İKN and oval mark
A number the ministry gives to a food business it has registered. It belongs to the business, not to the product.
Food of animal origin shows an oval identification mark (tanımlama işareti) that holds the business’s approval number from the ministry. Other food shows the İKN. Both are on the ministry’s list of compulsory label information. List of 04.08.2025
5 of 8 · Dates · STT or TETT
The use-by date, or the recommended-consumption date. A label carries one of the two.
The ministry points to the use-by date for foods that spoil easily and must be eaten soon, and to the recommended-consumption date for other products. Güvenilir Gıda
6 of 8 · Back · nutrition table and allergens
The nutrition table (beslenme bildirimi) and the substances that cause allergy or intolerance (alerjen).
The table gives energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g and has been compulsory on prepackaged food since 01.01.2020. The regulation lists 14 allergen substances, among them milk (with lactose) and soya beans. Kodeks page · List of 04.08.2025
7 of 8 · Back · business name and address
The name or trade name and the address of the food business (gıda işletmecisi) behind the product.
Compulsory label information on every prepackaged food. The ministry’s supplement list searches by maker or importer (üretici / ithalatçı) name. List of 04.08.2025
8 of 8 · Base · lot number and storage
The batch number (parti) and any special storage or use conditions (özel muhafaza ve/veya kullanım koşulları).
Both are compulsory label information. The ministry also tells shoppers to check that a food is on sale under the storage conditions it names (temperature, humidity, light). List of 04.08.2025
The note for the seller
Tap a line to put it on the note. Copy takes the marked lines.
What the tub is, in the ministry’s own terms
Three kinds of food come up when a protein tub is read, and the ministry’s pages treat each in its own way.
takviye edici gıda (TAHK-vee-yeh eh-dee-JEE guh-DAH)
A food supplement. It needs the ministry’s approval, product by product, and the approved ones are listed. In the ministry’s terms, a supplement is not a medicine and is not used to prevent or treat a disease.
sporcu gıdası (spohr-JOO guh-dah-SUH)
A food for sportspeople, the ministry’s own name for a kind of food. The ministry counts it apart: sports foods are not food supplements.
hazır ambalajlı gıda (hah-ZUR ahm-bah-lahzh-LUH guh-DAH)
Prepackaged food, the group a tub belongs to. The compulsory label fields in the next chapter apply to all of it.
Who sorts it
- Ministry
- Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Directorate
- Gıda ve Kontrol Genel Müdürlüğü (GKGM), the General Directorate of Food and Control
- Food site
- Güvenilir Gıda, guvenilirgida.tarimorman.gov.tr
- Food line
- 174, Alo 174 (Gıda Hattı)
Ministry pages · checked 01.11.2026 · Güvenilir Gıda
New label rules · notice of 09.10.2026
Deadline 31.12.2026.
The ministry’s notice sets 31 December 2026 as the last day to follow the new labelling rules. They are listed under Reading the label.
The word «whey»
- English
- whey
- Turkish
- peynir altı suyu (pay-NEER ahl-TUH soo-YOO)
- Literally
- «the water under the cheese»
Reading the label: what a packaged food must carry
The ministry’s list of compulsory label information rests on the Turkish Food Codex regulation on food labelling and informing consumers (Türk Gıda Kodeksi Gıda Etiketleme ve Tüketicileri Bilgilendirme Yönetmeliği) of 26 January 2017. It applies to all prepackaged food. The fields are set by the regulation, not by the maker.
- Name of the food
- Gıdanın adı
- Ingredients
- Bileşenler listesi
- Substances that cause allergy or intolerance
- Alerjiye veya intoleransa neden olan maddeler
- Quantity of certain ingredients
- Belirli bileşenlerin veya bileşen gruplarının miktarı
- Net quantity
- Gıdanın net miktarı
- Use-by or recommended-consumption date
- Son tüketim tarihi (STT) or tavsiye edilen tüketim tarihi (TETT)
- Storage and use conditions
- Özel muhafaza ve/veya kullanım koşulları
- Name or trade name and address of the food business
- Gıda işletmecisinin adı veya ticari unvanı ve adresi
- Registration number or identification mark
- İşletme kayıt numarası veya tanımlama işareti
- Country of origin, where required
- Menşe ülke
- Instructions for use, where needed
- Kullanım talimatı
- Lot number
- Parti (lot) numarası
- Nutrition declaration per 100 g
- Beslenme bildirimi: energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, salt
Güvenilir Gıda · list of 04.08.2025 · checked 01.11.2026 · compulsory label information
The ministry’s shopping tip
Choose packaged, labelled food that carries the compulsory fields. Do not buy food whose packaging is torn or damaged.
Güvenilir Gıda home page · checked 01.11.2026 · tips for shoppers
The notice of 09.10.2026 sets 31.12.2026 as the deadline to follow new labelling rules. Among them:
- Name and net quantity in the principal field of view. That is the pack face where the brand is written largest.
- Aromalı wherever a representative picture is. Where a flavouring replaces the food, the pack shows a representative picture, not a photo of the real food.
- No look-alike wording. For foods that can be mixed up, … tadında («tasting of …»), … lezzeti («flavour of …») and … keyfi («enjoyment of …») that point to another food are not allowed.
- Rank words need a stated comparison. Best, Süper («super») and Kaliteli («high-grade») are allowed only if the label says the comparison is among the same company’s own products in the same category and production records prove it.
- Glutensiz («gluten-free») has a limit. The wording is allowed for foods with no more than 20 mg/kg (20 ppm) of gluten.
- Irradiated food is marked. Işınlanmıştır («irradiated») and the Radura symbol go in the principal field of view.
Güvenilir Gıda · notice of 09.10.2026 · checked 01.11.2026 · new labelling rules
The approval number and the list
Food supplements must have the ministry’s approval. The approved ones are listed on one lookup, and the lookup takes three keys.
- Take a key from the tubNote one of these: the approval number (onay numarası), the product name (ürün adı) or the approval holder (onay sahibi, the company the approval was given to).
- Look it up in the ministry’s listThe list is Onaylı Takviye Edici Gıdalar Listesi on ggbs.tarim.gov.tr, in the Food Safety Information System (Gıda Güvenliği Bilgi Sistemi, GGBS). At least one of company name, approval number or product name is needed. The Güvenilir Gıda app has a Takviye Edici Gıda module for the same search.
- Read the resultThe list shows the product name, the company’s details and the approval status. The app also shows the approval number, the approval date, the approval holder and the active-substance information (etken madde).
Güvenilir Gıda · checked 01.11.2026 · supplement page · notice of 10.02.2026 · the app, 25.03.2026
Approved, product by product
Each supplement is approved separately and has to be on the list.
Counts as not approved
A product that is not on the list counts as not approved as a supplement. One approved product does not make a company’s other products approved.
What a supplement may not claim
A supplement may not be sold with claims of slimming, sexual performance, growing taller, intelligence, quitting smoking or attention deficit.
Güvenilir Gıda, supplement page · checked 01.11.2026 · supplement page
The ministry also posts a list of restricted substances for supplements (Takviye Edici Gıdalar Kısıtlı Maddeler Listesi). Its editions dated 27.10.2026 and 19.02.2026 are on the ministry’s Kayıt-Onay page.
Numbers on a tub: what each one belongs to
İKN (İşletme Kayıt Numarası)
The business registration number. The ministry gives it to the food businesses it has registered. It marks the business, not the product.
The oval mark (tanımlama işareti)
On food of animal origin: an oval that holds the business’s approval number from the ministry. The ministry’s Kayıt-Onay page links its list of approved and registered food businesses.
The approval number
A supplement’s number. Approval is product by product, and the list shows it. See The approval number and the list.
karekod (KAH-reh-kohd)
The Turkish word for QR code. The ministry’s karekod hangs at food businesses. The app’s İşletme Denetim Sorgulama (business inspection lookup) module reads it and shows the business’s details and the date of its last inspection.
İTS is the medicine system
The medicine tracking system (İlaç Takip Sistemi, İTS) of the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (Türkiye İlaç ve Tıbbi Cihaz Kurumu, TİTCK) follows every medicine made or imported in Türkiye, from production until it reaches the patient.
Two different systems
- Medicines
- İTS, run by TİTCK
- Food businesses
- The karekod and the app, run by the ministry
Imitated and adulterated food: the ministry’s notices
Taklit (tahk-LEET) means imitation and tağşiş (tah-SHEESH) means adulteration. The ministry publishes public notices (kamuoyu duyurusu) on foods that its controls found to endanger health, and on foods found to be imitated or adulterated.
The notices page is Gıda Kamuoyu Duyurusu (food public notice); its heading for the second group is Taklit veya tağşiş yapılan gıdalar. The same notices are in the app’s Gıda Kamuoyu Duyurusu module. They name products and companies.
Report something
In the app, the Çek, Gönder module (take, send) sends a report with photos and a location, and the report can be followed in the app. Reports get a first check at a call centre. The food line is Alo 174, number 174.
Güvenilir Gıda · checked 01.11.2026 · the app, 25.03.2026 · notice of 10.02.2026
Who may sell it, and where to read about the shops
Food supplements may be offered in every food business that sells food (gıda satışının yapıldığı tüm gıda işletmeleri).
Güvenilir Gıda, supplement page · checked 01.11.2026 · supplement page
The word on the sign
- Turkish
- eczane (EHJ-zah-neh)
- English
- pharmacy
Pharmacies and online pharmacies have their own pages here: Pharmacies in Turkey and Online pharmacies in Turkey.
Quick answers in plain words
Who approves food supplements in Türkiye?
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Supplements must have its approval, and each product is approved separately.
Where is the list of approved supplements?
On ggbs.tarim.gov.tr, in the Onaylı Takviye Edici Gıdalar Listesi, and in the Güvenilir Gıda app’s Takviye Edici Gıda module.
Is a sports food a food supplement?
No. In the ministry’s terms, sports foods are not food supplements.
What do STT and TETT mean?
Son tüketim tarihi (STT) is the use-by date and tavsiye edilen tüketim tarihi (TETT) is the recommended-consumption date. A label carries one of the two.
What is a karekod?
The Turkish word for QR code. The ministry’s karekod hangs at food businesses, and the app reads it to show the business’s details and last inspection date.
What are taklit and tağşiş?
Imitation and adulteration. The ministry posts notices on foods found to be imitated or adulterated on its notices page.
Where is a product that is not on the list reported?
Through the Güvenilir Gıda app or the Alo 174 food line (174).
Sources and limits
Show the pages checked
- Gıda etiketlerinde yer alması gereken zorunlu bilgiler nelerdir? (04.08.2025) — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Güvenilir Gıda, checked 01.11.2026
- Gıda etiketlemede yeni düzenlemelere uyum için son tarih: 31 Aralık 2026 (09.10.2026) — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Güvenilir Gıda, checked 01.11.2026
- Takviye Edici Gıda — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Güvenilir Gıda, checked 01.11.2026
- Bir takviye edici gıdanın onaylı olup olmadığını nereden öğrenebiliriz? (10.02.2026) — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Güvenilir Gıda, checked 01.11.2026
- Güvenilir Gıda Mobil Uygulaması (25.03.2026) — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Güvenilir Gıda, checked 01.11.2026
- Gıda Kamuoyu Duyurusu: Taklit veya tağşiş yapılan gıdalar — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Güvenilir Gıda, checked 01.11.2026
- Güvenilir Gıda home page: Gıda Tüketirken Dikkat Ediniz — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Güvenilir Gıda, checked 01.11.2026
- Türk Gıda Kodeksi — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, GKGM, checked 01.11.2026
- Kayıt-Onay — Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, GKGM, checked 01.11.2026
- TİTCK home page: İlaç Takip Sistemi (İTS) — Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, checked 01.11.2026
Rules and lists are those of 01.11.2026; the ministry changes them. No company or product name from its notices is copied, and no amount, health advice or ranking is given.