According to a comprehensive study led by Istanbul Aydın University, over 4,000 food fraud incidents involving more than 7,000 specific adulteration cases were documented in Turkey between 2012 and 2022.
The findings paint a clear picture: economically motivated fraud is targeting key staples like milk, meat, and vegetable oils. Many of these cases involved substitution with cheaper ingredients, but a disturbing number included pharmaceutical adulterants, like sildenafil (Viagra) and sibutramine, which can pose major health risks.
The researchers emphasised that these were not isolated problems but part of a systemic issue that undermined food safety and economic fairness. This warranted the need for better tools, smarter inspections, and tougher deterrents.
Concentration of fraud in major cities and private firms
The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry carried out more than 10 million inspections during the study period, leading to over 166,000 fines and 1,670 criminal complaints.
However, only 23 official announcements of fraudulent findings were made, highlighting a gap in transparency.
The study also found that two-thirds of the fraud incidents occurred in just 10 cities, including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, which are home to many food production and distribution hubs.
Private firms were also more likely to commit fraud than corporations. While 60% of companies were listed only once, 40% appeared multiple times, and 15% were repeat offenders across several years. The study observed a clear pattern: smaller, privately held firms were more likely to cut corners.
Milk, meat and oils dominate fraud cases
Of the 4,007 incidents recorded, nearly 80% involved just three food categories: milk and dairy products, meat and meat products, and vegetable oils.
Common fraud included substituting milk fat with vegetable oil or using milk from unapproved sources, while sausages, meatballs, and other processed meats were often found to contain poultry or cheaper cuts not listed on the label.
At the same time, olive oil fraud was found to be rampant, with cheaper oils like sunflower or canola substituted.
The researchers noted that since these foods were household staples, their high consumption rates made them prime targets for fraud.
Drug-based adulteration a growing health threat
One of the most alarming trends was the addition of pharmaceutical substances to foods and supplements. Sildenafil and sibutramine were the most frequently detected drugs.
Beyond economic fraud, the study’s authors said, this constituted a public health emergency. Products like herbal teas, supplements, and soft drinks were often laced with unapproved drugs to boost perceived effects.
They added that detecting these substances would be challenging. Unlike substitution, where inspectors would know what to look for, drugs and artificial enhancers could be anything. As such, screening tools that can identify a wide range of unknowns would be needed.
Testing tools and delays create enforcement gaps
Turkey uses a network of 41 public and 101 private laboratories, all accredited under ISO standards. However, testing takes time and the average lab turnaround is over two days.
For fast-moving food markets, this delay creates a window where dangerous products can be sold before detection. Gas chromatography and ELISA tests are the most common methods, especially for meat and oils, but emerging threats call for broader screening strategies.
The researchers stated that faster, portable, and more comprehensive testing solutions were needed. They called for investments in omics-based approaches — technologies like metabolomics that could detect changes in complex chemical fingerprints.
Substitution remains the most common fraud method
Three out of four cases involved basic substitution or dilution — swapping or thinning a product with something cheaper. While these cases were less immediately dangerous than drug-based fraud, they also undermined consumer trust and hurt legitimate producers.
The study also highlighted artificial enhancement — adding dyes or thickeners to mimic high-quality food. Fraudulent claims on labels were also common, with fake species names, misleading terms like “extra virgin”, or deceptive product names.
Implications for regulators and the food industry
The authors stressed that data like this must inform policy, risk assessments, quality control programs, inspection priorities, technology development, and training for food producers.
For food manufacturers and suppliers, the study offers a wake-up call. Firms need to strengthen internal quality systems, conduct supplier audits, and adopt traceability solutions.
The study’s authors emphasised that relying solely on government inspections was not enough — companies must take responsibility for securing their supply chains.
They added that third-party certifications like ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 could help, but only if audits were thorough and supported by unannounced checks. For exporters, the stakes were even higher: fraudulent products could damage national reputation and restrict market access.
Turkey as a case study for global food fraud strategies
Turkey’s place in the international food trade and its tourist-dependent economy make food safety especially critical.
As the first large-scale analysis of food fraud trends in Turkey, this study filled a major gap in the global understanding of economically motivated adulteration.
The researchers called for similar studies in other countries, as well as the development of open-access, real-time food fraud databases, saying that global collaboration was necessary for industry and government to stay ahead of the fraudsters.
Looking ahead
The study concluded that Turkey’s experience underscored the need for risk-based inspections that would focus enforcement on high-risk products and regions, as well as the development of faster broader testing methods and detection tools.
Additionally, the researchers highlighted the necessity of industry accountability and investment in food safety systems, and data transparency that would allow public access to fraud data in order to strengthen trust.
Source: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
“Global insights into food fraud from location-based analysis: food adulteration in Turkey”
https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.14302
Authors: Murat Kavruk, et al.
