Sale of ethanol for home use banned

ANKARA

The Turkish government has imposed a ban on the sale of ethanol for home use with a respective directive by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry published in the Official Gazette.

People in Turkey use ethanol to make spirits at home.

The sale ban will come into force after 60 days starting from the publication of the directive in the Official Gazette. 

During the transition period, until the ban takes effect, ethanol will be allowed to be sold. 

When the ban starts, ethanol will not be marketed, and entities which have the license to sell ethanol will have to return the product to the importing companies or the producers of ethanol within three months.

With the amendment made in the respective directive, the sale of ethanol on the internet has also been banned. 

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry will take necessary measures to ensure the safety of ethanol, methanol and alcoholic beverages markets. 

Back in 2018, the then-regulations required denatonium benzoate be added to ethanol and a warning was put on the labels of the product sold in the market, which read “not suitable for use in food.”