Food safety starts in production culture, before inspection

When I reviewed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest research together with Türkiye’s food inspection data, I met a picture we need to think about at length.

• 866 million estimated illness cases worldwide in one year associated with unsafe food.
• 1.52 million estimated annual deaths associated with foodborne illness.
• 57.1 million healthy life years lost worldwide in one year because of foodborne illness.

These figures come from WHO’s 2026 publication of global estimates for 2021. I looked at Türkiye — what does the picture look like?

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s official 2024 data:

• 1,329,758 food inspections — the number of official controls carried out across Türkiye in one year.
• 26,263 administrative sanctions applied as a result of inspections.
• 1.31 billion ₺ — the total amount of administrative fines applied.
• 610 criminal complaints — the number of food operators reported to public prosecutors.

Because food safety unfortunately does not begin when the product reaches the supermarket shelf. It takes shape in raw-material selection, continues in supplier assessment, and is formed in the hygiene conditions of the production plant. It is strengthened in staff training, monitored at critical control points, protected in storage and logistics, and continues until it reaches the consumer’s table. Inspection is the verification of safety. Safety itself is the culture of correct production practiced every day.

Today in the food sector we talk about new technologies, high-protein products, functional nutrition and innovation. All of these are highly valuable. But we must never forget one fact. No matter how high a food’s nutrient value is, if it is not safe it cannot offer the consumer real benefit.

The academic and technical work we carry out under BÄKKER once again showed me the importance of approaching food innovation holistically. Developing a product is not only increasing nutrient value; it also requires building a system that lets that product be produced in a reliable, repeatable way that meets standards.

Türkiye has a very strong food production infrastructure, skilled people and important export potential. As we carry that potential into the future, I believe we should see food safety not only as a legal obligation but as one of the core elements of our production culture.

Food safety should be measured not by how many businesses were fined, but by how many risks could be prevented before they appeared.

This article is taken from Ümit Sevdi's LinkedIn post: Read on LinkedIn.

Related pages: all articles, our protein page, for bakeries.