School canteens ban junk food sales starting Sept. 14

ANKARA

Türkiye will ban junk food sales in school canteens and introduce a healthy food logo system on Sept. 14 to combat childhood obesity among 18 million students.

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, Education Ministry and Health Ministry collaborated with the Turkish Kidney Foundation to launch the delayed project for the new academic year.

Only 675 approved products meeting strict sugar, salt and fat limits will carry the logo and enter canteen shelves initially.

The regulation entirely prohibits energy drinks, sodas, flavored beverages, fried foods, chips, chocolates and candies.

Cream or chocolate-filled cakes, pastries with syrup, raw meatballs and artificially sweetened items are excluded from the program to protect children.

Permitted items include seasonal fresh produce, milk, yogurt, ayran, cheese, eggs, whole wheat bread, water, mineral water and sugar-free gum.

Dried fruits and unsalted nuts are limited to 30-gram portions, while fresh juices are capped at 250 milliliters.

Whole fruit consumption is healthier than juice, and salted crackers should face bans even with low sodium, Turkish Kidney Foundation Dietitian Gökçen Efe Aydın said.

Nutrition education begins at home, Agriculture and Forestry Ministry Food Codex and Feed Legislation Department Head Selim Kaplan said during a press meeting.

“We will reduce sugar in milk and ensure the use of natural flavorings instead of artificial ones,” he said.

A campaign promoting whole wheat bread will launch in the central province of Konya before expanding across Türkiye, Kaplan said.

Excessive salt and sugar consumption causes obesity, hypertension and diabetes, Turkish Kidney Foundation President Timur Erk said.

The system will create a revolutionary change for kidney health, he said, calling for logo-bearing products to enter supermarkets.

Türkiye has intensified efforts to regulate childhood nutrition and food safety recently to align national health standards with World Health Organization guidelines.