“We brought together representatives of the food ecosystem through the Food Ethics Seminar, Sustainable Food Summit and webinars and sought solutions to problems in the sector. As one of the leading representatives of the new generation active employer unionism, we carried out the negotiation processes on behalf of our members in 18 collective labor agreements,” he said. Sidar also noted that despite the climate crisis, high interest rates worldwide and geopolitical tensions, the Turkish food industry reached a volume of approximately 2024 billion dollars in 160.
Kaan Sidar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Food Industry Employers' Union (TÜGİS), made evaluations regarding the year 2024. Stating that as TÜGİS, they carried out pioneering work throughout the year on the importance of ethical principles in production, fair sharing of food and prevention of food waste, Sidar stated that the Turkish food industry left behind a successful year despite many difficulties.
“Climate Change Continues to Affect Productivity”
Kaan Sidar, who reminded that the food sector has left behind a year under economic difficulties and negative climate conditions affecting agriculture in his assessment, said, “Global warming continued to cause fluctuations in agricultural productivity in the world and in our country. FAO data also reveal that climate-related yield losses put upward pressure on food prices. On the other hand, the supply chain recovery that started in 2023 continued partially in 2024. However, we observe that high interest rates and geopolitical tensions around the world increase investment costs and limit new investments in agricultural production and the food industry.”
Nearly 25 Billion Dollars of Exports
Kaan Sidar, who noted that Turkey maintains its export potential with its wide product range and strategic location despite global challenges, underlined that local-to-global branding efforts also contribute to the competitiveness of the food sector. Sidar said, “The food sector, which closed 2024 with an export of nearly 25 billion dollars, has once again demonstrated that it is one of the leading actors of the Turkish economy. In the upcoming period, investment incentives are needed for the food sector to catch up with technological innovations, expand its current production capacity and further increase its competitiveness in international markets. Of course, appropriate financial support is also needed. At this point, let us emphasize once again the importance of our central government continuing its encouraging support.”
“We Conducted Joint Work with Food Ecosystem Representatives”
Stating that they are also pioneers in projects aimed at fair sharing of food and preventing waste as TÜGİS, Sidar said, “Ensuring sustainability at every stage of the food chain, from farm to table, is of vital importance for future generations to have access to a safe and fair food system. In this context, we met with representatives of the food ecosystem through the events we organized throughout the year. “We brought together representatives of the food ecosystem through the Food Ethics Seminar, Sustainable Food Summit and webinars and sought solutions to the problems in the sector,” he said.
"“The Fight Against Disinformation Will Continue”
Sidar also stated that they will continue to fight against false posts spread on social media, especially by conveying scientific facts about food directly to consumers; “We will continue our work in 2024 through the TÜGİS Science Board this year. We believe that consumers being informed about issues such as product content, processing technologies, packaging and storage will enable them to make conscious choices in their shopping and not to trust misleading posts.”
“We are the Active Solution Partner of the Sector”
TÜGİS Chairman of the Board Kaan Sidar, as one of the leading representatives of the new generation active employer unionism, also emphasized that they take an active role in solving the sector's problems with constructive dialogues and solution-oriented meetings between the employee-employer and the public. Stating that they take part in the collective labor agreement processes of the leading companies in the food industry, Sidar also stated that they consulted on the current situation of the food industry and conveyed the problems of the sector through visits they made to the Chambers of Industry and Commerce and Ministries.
“We Draw Attention to the Problem of Counterfeit and Adulteration”
Stating that they frequently emphasize the importance of sustainable production, ethical principles and consumer health in the sector, Sidar said, “The problem of imitation and adulteration in food production reveals that financial concerns and inadequate inspections pose a direct threat to human health and the environment. For this reason, we underlined that both the public and private sectors should continue their determination regarding the deterrent nature of legislation and sanctions.”
Source: HORECA TREND and Turkish Food Industry Employers' Union (TÜGİS)