Lemon sauce production to be banned: Ministry

ANKARA

Within the scope of the measures taken by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, the production of lemon sauce flavored with lemon aroma will be banned in the domestic market.

Selim Kaplan, the head of the Food Enterprises of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, explained the details of the decision taken on the subject.

"We made a similar application in 2023 for products such as pomegranate flavoring, pomegranate sour sauce or pomegranate flavored syrup. The ministry is working to directly produce lemon juice to provide added value to this product. Our aim with these regulations is primarily to protect our consumers,” he said.

"We plan to publish the decision very soon. In this, these products will not be produced in Türkiye. Products with lemon sauce or similar names will not be produced and placed on the shelves,” Kaplan said.

“We will conduct market inspections of lemon-flavored sauces after the bans come into force. We carry out these market controls both in food enterprises and restaurants,” he stated.

Emphasizing that as a result of their research, lemon was never found in lemon sauces, Kaplan said, “Unfortunately, there is no lemon in the vast majority of the products in the market right now. In some products, lemon is used in very small amounts, and the rest is made up of other ingredients.”

“Türkiye's lemon production has increased by 75 percent compared to last year. At a time of such production, it is pointless to offer lemon sauces that give the impression of lemon juice to the market,” he concluded.