Examination of European Union food labeling legislation and comparison with our national legislation

The developing market economy in Turkey and of the world and the factors which are affecting choices of consumers are changing and developing. To accommodate as well as for world market and to attach development during the gaining membership period for the European Union Turkish national legislation went through various alterations. Considering food economy, food consumption perceptions, consumer rights, mobility within national and international food economy, changing manufacture technologies, changing health elements, using new food expressions has become obligatory when it comes to legislation on food labeling. In this context the Republisc of Turkey Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock which has sole authority for food inspection and control mechanisms, prepared and published the Turkish Food Codex Labeling Regulation. This regulation was published on 29th December 2011 in the 3rd Mükerrer Official newspaper with the serial number 28157. The regulation was arranged based on the existing legislations for food labeling of the European Union. With the purpose to ensure unity within the legislative range the European Union Commission prepared a regulation called ´Presenting information to consumers about food´ with the number 116/2011/EC and published it on 22nd November 2011 in the official European Union Newspaper. With the out coming of this Regulation and in presence of union a lot of subjects referring to food labeling were changed or annulled. Since the Turkish Food Codex Labeling Regulation coincided with this period there have been, for not being too deeply, various differences between our national legislation and the one of the European Union. Examining this project and the European Union´s legislation on food labeling, we aimed to detect deficiencies in Turkish legislation. Further various label expressions on the food products within the Union´s inner market were investigated and producers to export to the European Union as well as exporting companies were informed.