Kayseri pastırma secures EU protected status

ISTANBUL

Kayseri pastırması, a traditional cured beef product from central Türkiye, has been entered into the European Union’s register of geographical indications, giving the regional specialty legal protection across the bloc. Turkish officials said it is the 46th product from Türkiye to receive EU recognition.

The registration was formalized under European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/725, which entered the name “Kayseri Pastırması” into the EU register as a protected geographical indication, or PGI. The regulation said the product is made in Kayseri province and that its reputation is tied to local know-how in selecting ingredients and carrying out the production process.

Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, or TOBB, President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu announced the development on March 25, calling it an important gain for both Kayseri and Türkiye. He said the application process had faced formal objections and that the registration was secured after intensive work by experts and legal teams.

EU geographical indication protection is granted to products whose qualities, characteristics or reputation are linked to a specific place of origin. The system protects registered names against misuse and imitation and helps guarantee the product’s origin for consumers.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said Türkiye continued to push for wider international recognition of its regional products, adding that dozens of additional applications from the country were still under review by the EU.