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The safety of food products imported into Turkey and materials that come into contact with food is subject to strict controls under biosafety and food safety regulations. Facing continuous and intensive analysis processes during import operations results in both significant time loss and unforeseeable additional costs for companies.
The Approved Facility program, administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, is based on the inspection of overseas production facilities and enables a reduction in the frequency of analyses and the intensity of inspections for imports from these facilities.
However, obtaining this status is not merely a commercial application; it is a comprehensive biosecurity process that requires technical data accuracy, regulatory compliance, and strategic documentation preparation.
Key Client Profile
- This service is suitable for companies that regularly import food or materials that come into contact with food into Turkey.
- It is suitable for importers who wish to gain operational efficiency and cost advantages by reducing the frequency of customs inspections during importation.
- This is suitable for companies that have at least one year of active import history in the GGBS (Food Safety Information System) and wish to turn this history into an advantage.
- This is suitable for authorized representatives who source from multiple production facilities abroad and require separate corporate filing and application tracking for each facility.
Key Areas Evaluated During the Process
GGBS Data and History Verification: The requirement for “at least one year of import data,” as stipulated by the regulations as of the application date, is analyzed in detail. The appropriate product format and content structure are analyzed.
Facility-Specific Documentation: If there are multiple production facilities, technical files—which must be prepared separately for each facility in accordance with the law—are structured accordingly.
Ministry Document Compliance: All technical information, certificates, and documents required by the General Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are brought into full compliance with the regulations.
General Directorate Application and Follow-Up: Official applications are submitted on behalf of the importer or authorized representative, and bureaucratic follow-up is managed through the entire inspection process.
Why Is This Process Important?
From the outside, obtaining approved facility status may seem like simply submitting a dossier based solely on past import data. However, even a minor omission in a technical document included in the application file, an incorrect classification, or the presentation of data that fails to meet the Ministry’s expectations can lead to the application being rejected outright. This situation results in your company continuing to face intensive inspections, incurring high analysis costs, and falling behind your competitors.
Furthermore, since the process must be managed as separate files and applications for each production facility, even the smallest coordination error in operational steps can derail the entire process. At OMNIREGULA, by anticipating biosafety risks and regulatory dynamics in advance, we work with you to plan all technical and legal aspects of the process to ensure your application is successful on the first attempt.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it does not completely eliminate testing. However, within the framework of biosafety criteria, it significantly reduces the frequency of official laboratory analyses and inspection intensity performed on the product, thereby accelerating your customs clearance processes.
According to current regulations, no. In order to file an approved facility application, it is mandatory to have at least 1 year of official import history for that specific production facility on the Food Safety Information System (GGBS) as of the application date.
No. For applications to be submitted to the General Directorate by the importer or authorized representative, a separate technical dossier must be prepared for each production facility, and an independent application process must be conducted for each site.
Any minor non-compliance in technical documents or a data presentation that falls short of Ministry expectations will lead to the direct rejection of the application. Consequently, your company will continue to endure high analysis costs and severe operational delays.
