Turkey rebuffs ‘carcinogenic’ claims on homegrown hazelnuts

ANKARA

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Ankara has dismissed allegations made at an agriculture fair in Italy claiming that Turkish hazelnuts containing carcinogenic chemicals.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting on Oct. 17, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said a list published by Coldiretti, the Italian National Farmers Confederation, at a food and agriculture fair in the northern Italian city of Cernobbio, which included Turkish hazelnuts among the “10 most dangerous foods,” was fabricated and contained incorrect information. 

“I am a deputy from the Black Sea region ... The [people who made the claims] simply cannot accept the fact that Turkey is the largest hazelnut producer internationally. We are monitoring this issue. The information provided was very wrong and biased,” said Kurtulmuş. 

According to the Coldiretti list, prepared based on the Italian Health Ministry’s 2015 report on food with chemical extracts, Turkish hazelnuts contained dangerously high levels of carcinogenic material.