Food, Produce and Feed Products We Inspect in Turkey
Technical inspection guides for the products international buyers source from Turkey, from cherries and hazelnuts to sunflower meal and compound feed. Each guide sets out what to check, how to sample and which risks to control.
Fresh Fruits
Category overviewCherries
Turkey is the world's largest producer of sweet cherries.
Sour Cherries
Turkey is a major sour cherry producer, and most of the crop goes to processors for frozen pitted fruit, juice concentrate, jam and dried fruit.
Fresh Apricots
Turkey is the world's largest apricot producer.
Fresh Figs
Turkey is the leading producer of figs.
Table Grapes
Manisa and the surrounding Aegean region produce Turkey's main export table grape, the seedless Sultani Çekirdeksiz, along with red and black varieties.
Apples
Turkey is one of the world's largest apple producers, and controlled atmosphere storage lets Isparta, Niğde and Karaman supply export markets for most of the year.
Peaches and Nectarines
Turkish peaches and nectarines come from the Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean regions, giving a long season for truck exports to Europe, Russia and the Middle East.
Plums
Turkey exports both the early green plum, harvested immature and eaten crunchy with salt, and ripe European and Japanese plums later in summer.
Pomegranates
Turkey is a leading pomegranate exporter, built largely on the Hicaznar variety, which offers deep red arils, good acidity and long storage life.
Lemons
Turkey is among the world's leading lemon exporters, with Mersin as the centre of production.
Mandarins
Turkey is one of the world's largest mandarin exporters, shipping Satsuma, Clementine and late varieties from the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts through the autumn and winter.
Oranges
Mediterranean Turkey produces Navel and Valencia oranges for fresh export and juice processing, mostly from Antalya, Adana, Mersin and Hatay.
Strawberries
Turkey is a large strawberry producer.
Melons and Watermelons
Turkey is one of the world's largest watermelon and melon producers.
Quinces
Turkey is the world's largest quince producer.
Fresh Vegetables
Category overviewTomatoes
Turkey is one of the world's largest tomato producers and a major fresh tomato exporter.
Cucumbers
Greenhouse cucumbers from Antalya and Mersin are a winter staple for Eastern European and Middle Eastern buyers.
Peppers
Turkey grows a wide range of peppers, from blocky bell peppers to long Charleston, Kapia and hot types.
Eggplants
Eggplant is a core crop in Turkish cooking and export trade, from long slender types to large round fruit.
Zucchini
Turkish greenhouse zucchini, mostly light green Middle Eastern types, is shipped through the winter.
Onions and Garlic
Turkey is a large producer of dry onions and garlic.
Potatoes
Turkey is a large potato producer, with the Central Anatolian plateau supplying most of the main crop.
Carrots
Beypazarı near Ankara and the Konya plain are Turkey's main carrot areas, supplying washed carrots to export markets from summer through winter.
Cabbage
White and red cabbage from Samsun, Konya and Marmara is exported in autumn and winter, mostly to neighbouring markets.
Cauliflower and Broccoli
Cauliflower and broccoli from the Marmara and Aegean regions supply fresh and frozen trade during the cooler months.
Lettuce and Spinach
Leafy greens are grown through the winter in the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions.
Green Beans and Peas
Turkey grows green beans in greenhouses and open fields, along with garden peas, for fresh export and a large frozen vegetable industry.
Mushrooms
Cultivated white button mushrooms are produced year-round in Turkey, with Korkuteli in Antalya as a major centre.
Dried Fruits
Category overviewDried Apricots
Turkey supplies the large majority of the world's dried apricots, almost all of them processed in and around Malatya.
Dried Figs
Turkey produces most of the world's dried figs, nearly all from the Büyük Menderes and Küçük Menderes valleys of Aydın and İzmir.
Sultana Raisins
Turkey is one of the world's leading raisin exporters, specialising in sultanas from the seedless Sultani Çekirdeksiz grape.
Dried Mulberries
White mulberries dried in Malatya and Eastern Anatolia have found a growing market in health food and snack ranges.
Hazelnuts
Turkey grows roughly two thirds of the world's hazelnuts along its Black Sea coast and supplies most of the global confectionery industry.
Pistachios
Turkish pistachios, known as Antep pistachios, are smaller and more intensely flavoured than many other origins.
Almonds
Turkey produces almonds in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Southeast regions, with planting expanding in recent years.
Walnuts
Turkey is one of the larger walnut producers, with extensive new orchards of grafted varieties.
Grains and Pulses
Category overviewWheat
Turkey is a large wheat producer and one of the world's biggest wheat importers, because its flour and pasta industries export so much.
Wheat Flour
Turkey is regularly the world's largest wheat flour exporter, shipping to Iraq, Yemen, Africa and Asia.
Bulgur
Turkey is the world's leading bulgur producer and exporter.
Barley
Barley is Turkey's second cereal, grown largely on the Central Anatolian plateau for feed and malting.
Corn (Maize)
Turkey grows maize for feed, starch and food use, mainly in the Çukurova plain and the Southeast.
Rice
Turkey produces paddy rice in Thrace and the Black Sea region, mostly medium-grain Baldo and Osmancık types.
Lentils
Turkey is a major red lentil producer and processor.
Chickpeas
Turkey is a large chickpea producer, growing Kabuli-type chickpeas on the Central Anatolian plateau.
Dry Beans
Turkey grows dry white beans in Central and Eastern Anatolia, including several registered geographical indications.
Edible Oils
Category overviewProcessed Food
Category overviewTomato Paste
Turkey is one of the world's leading tomato paste producers, processing open-field tomatoes from Marmara and the Aegean in a short summer campaign.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Dried Vegetables
The Aegean region is a major source of sun-dried tomatoes, along with dried peppers, eggplants and other vegetables.
Canned Fruits and Vegetables
Turkish canners pack vegetables, legumes, fruits, ready meals and stuffed vine leaves for retail and foodservice.
Pickles
Turkey exports pickled gherkins, peppers and mixed vegetables in brine and vinegar to Europe and the Middle East.
Table Olives
Turkey is one of the world's largest table olive producers, known for naturally black Gemlik olives and green Domat olives.
Jams and Sauces
Turkish fruit preserves include sour cherry, fig, apricot, strawberry and rose jams, as well as pomegranate molasses, pepper paste and other sauces.
Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
Turkey has a substantial freezing industry supplying sour cherries, strawberries, peas, beans, peppers, spinach, broccoli and mixed vegetables to European processors and retailers.
Fruit Juice Concentrates
Turkey is a major supplier of apple juice concentrate and one of the main sources of sour cherry and pomegranate concentrates.
Spices and Herbs
Turkey is a leading world supplier of dried oregano and bay leaves and a significant source of cumin, sumac, red pepper flakes and other spices.
Tea
Turkish black tea is grown on the steep slopes of the eastern Black Sea coast.
Confectionery
Turkey is a large exporter of sugar confectionery, including Turkish delight (lokum), tahini halva, hard candy, jelly and chewing gum.
Chocolate
Turkey is a significant exporter of chocolate and chocolate-coated products, using its own hazelnuts in many recipes.
Biscuits
Turkey is one of the world's largest biscuit exporters, producing sweet biscuits, crackers, wafers and cakes for more than a hundred markets.
Bakery Products
Turkish bakery exports include frozen baklava and pastries, filo (yufka), simit, breadsticks and packaged breads.
Pasta
Turkey is one of the world's largest pasta exporters, supplying Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe from modern durum wheat mills and pasta plants.
Dairy and Animal-Origin Products
Category overviewCheese
Turkish cheese exports include white brined cheese (beyaz peynir), kashar, labneh-style products and specialities.
Dairy Products
Turkey has a large dairy sector exporting UHT milk, milk powder, yoghurt, ayran, butter and dairy desserts, mainly to the Middle East and Central Asia.
Honey
Turkey is among the world's largest honey producers and the main source of pine honey, produced from honeydew in the forests around Muğla.
Eggs
Turkey is one of the world's largest table egg exporters, shipping large volumes to Iraq and other regional markets.
Poultry Meat
Turkey is a major poultry meat exporter, supplying frozen whole birds and cuts to Iraq, the Gulf, Africa and Asia.
Farmed Fish
Turkey is one of the largest producers of farmed sea bass and sea bream in the Mediterranean and a major producer of rainbow trout, including large Black Sea trout.
Animal Feed
Category overviewCompound Animal Feed
Turkey has a large compound feed industry serving poultry, dairy, beef, small ruminant and aquaculture production, and exports finished feeds to neighbouring and Gulf markets.
Poultry Feed
Turkey's large broiler and layer sectors support many specialist poultry feed mills.
Cattle and Dairy Feed
Dairy and beef concentrates make up a large share of Turkish feed production.
Sheep and Goat Feed
Turkey has one of the largest small ruminant populations in Europe and the Middle East.
Aquaculture Feed
Turkish fish feed mills, mostly in the Aegean, supply the domestic sea bass, sea bream and trout sectors and export extruded feeds to neighbouring and Middle Eastern markets.
Pet Food
Turkish pet food manufacturing has grown quickly, with dry and wet cat and dog food exported to the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia, often as private label.
Feed Additives and Premixes
Vitamin and mineral premixes, toxin binders, enzymes and other additives are produced and blended in Turkey for domestic mills and export.
Alfalfa, Hay and Forage
Alfalfa is widely grown in Central and Eastern Anatolia.
Feed Ingredients
Category overviewSunflower Meal
Turkish crushers in Thrace and elsewhere produce sunflower meal from both domestic and imported seed.
Soybean Meal
Turkey crushes mainly imported soybeans and also imports soybean meal for its feed industry.
Cottonseed Meal
Cottonseed meal is a by-product of crushing in Turkey's cotton regions.
Wheat Bran
Turkey's large flour milling industry produces significant volumes of wheat bran and middlings, traded as loose bran or pellets.
Corn Gluten Feed
Corn wet milling plants in Turkey produce corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal as by-products of starch and sweetener production.
DDGS
Distillers dried grains with solubles are used in Turkish ruminant and poultry feed.
Feed Grains
Feed wheat, barley and corn move through Turkish silos and ports for domestic mills and regional trade.
Agricultural Commodities
Category overviewCotton
Turkey is a significant cotton producer and one of the largest cotton consumers, with a major textile industry.
Cottonseed
Fuzzy and delinted cottonseed from Turkish gins is used for crushing, direct ruminant feeding and planting seed.
Oilseeds
Sunflower seed, canola, safflower and sesame are grown in Turkey, alongside confectionery sunflower seeds for snacking.
Seeds
Turkey produces and exports vegetable, cereal and field crop seeds.
Agricultural By-Products
Turkish agro-industries generate by-products such as sugar beet pulp pellets, olive pomace, citrus pulp, hazelnut shells and fruit pomace, traded as feed, fuel or raw material.
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We inspect most food, agricultural and feed products traded from Turkey. Send us your specification.