Dried, sugared up tomatoes sold as wild strawberries seized in Turkey’s west

İZMİR

DHA photo

Municipality police in the Aegean province of İzmir have seized so-called wild strawberries, which were in fact dried and sugared cherry tomatoes, and commenced a legal process against the suppliers and sellers of the fake goods. 

Citizens filed a complaint about the fake wild strawberries, which were sold in a local bazaar in İzmir’s Karşıyaka district for 18 to 20 Turkish Liras per kilogram. Taking action upon the notice, municipality police have determined that five booths at the bazaar were selling the disguised tomatoes as wild strawberries. 

After detection, officials seized the fake strawberries and commenced legal action against the owners of the booths and suppliers. 

Karşıyaka Mayor Hüseyin Mutlu Akpınar said that they were working hard to sustain citizens’ health by means of evaluating every denunciation.
 
“We are against every effort that threatens people’s health. We are working rigorously to protect the nation’s health. We will keep looking over every single denunciation with our expert team and will continue to do what is necessary by law,” said Akpınar.

“It is not acceptable to sell dried tomatoes under the label of wild strawberries. Besides it is also harmful for health,” added the mayor. 

The municipality announced that marketplace inspections will be increased and strictly enforced to protect human health.

This is not the first time the Karşıyaka Municipality police seized fake fruits. In mid-August, municipality police seized around 200 kilograms of strawberries that were sprayed with chemical fragrance so as to smell better at the Bostanlı market in İzmir.