The importance of safe food tracking system and geographical indication in increasing the gastronomic values of destinations -Balıkesir provincial example

Consumption of natural resources and industrialization of food products due to reasons such as increasing world population, changing climatic conditions, epidemics and famine make it difficult to reach safe food day by day by changing food consumption habits. Changing conditions increase the tendency to locally sourced and qualified food products with known production stages. At this point, geographical indications, which are one of the most important instruments of local development, bring together the perception of safe food, as they clearly determine the product characteristics and process stages. The increase in the number of geographically marked products, which have become popular in our country in recent years, brings about the introduction of imitation adulteration products to the market. The emergence of fraudulent products negatively affects the economic structure and culture of the local people who have labor in the products. In order to prevent these negativities, the creation of a tracking system, together with the protection of the products with geographical indication, is seen as an effective practice in preventing counterfeit adulteration. Balıkesir, defined as the 'City that Feeds Turkey', is known as the source of agricultural and animal products with its fertile lands. It is home to qualified local products created by blending product resources and regional culture. The city, which protects many local products, especially meat and dairy products, with geographical indication, is seen as an exemplary application for other geographically marked products against counterfeit adulteration by making a difference with the "Balıkesir Lamb Meat Tracking System". In this study, the main problem was the effect of the system created for the follow-up of 'Balıkesir Lamb Meat' in increasing the gastronomic value of the destination, together with the prevention of counterfeit adulteration and ensuring the traceability of the product. It has been tried to measure the effect of lamb in the follow-up system on the preference of producers, slaughterhouses, restaurants, butchers, market chains and consumers that make up the supply chain. In the first part of the study; The problem, purpose, importance, assumptions, limitations and previous studies on safe food tracking system are mentioned. In the second part, information is given by making a literature review about the concept of destination and increasing the gastronomic values of destinations. In the third section, geographical indication and safe food concepts and existing product tracking systems are mentioned, while in the fourth section, 'Geographically Marked Balıkesir Lamb Meat Safe Tracking System' is discussed. In the fifth section, general information about the research method is given, and in the sixth section, the findings and comments are discussed. In the last section, the results and recommendations of the research are given in line with the findings. As a result of the study, it is seen that the geographical indications integrated with the 'Safe Food Tracking System' of the data obtained, protect the product against counterfeit adulteration, which is one of the biggest problems of the manufacturer. In order to increase the gastronomic value of destinations and to directly benefit local development, it has been concluded that the establishment of a tracking system for existing geographically indicated products will have positive effects. At the same time, it is hoped that this study will be a source in studies related to the use of geographically marked products for the purpose of creating a tracking system in order to increase the gastronomic values of destinations. Keywords: Balıkesir, Safe Food Tracking System, Geographical Indication, Lamb Meat Tracking System, Traceability