Professor Muhammet Arıcı, a faculty member at the Department of Food Engineering at Yıldız Technical University, stated that not every product sold under the label "natural” is necessarily safe, warning that especially unpackaged foods may pose risks.
Speaking to an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter in Antalya, where he attended the "5th International Food Chemistry Congress,” Arıcı said that foods marketed as "natural” are not always healthy and that the determining factor is the conditions of production and storage.
He noted that unpackaged products often reach consumers without being subject to inspection and registration systems, which increases uncertainties regarding production and distribution processes.
Arıcı emphasized that microbiological risks are particularly prominent in such foods.
He explained that it is scientifically accepted that processing many products through methods such as heat treatment or fermentation reduces risks, makes food safer and that these processes play an important role in food safety.
Pointing to the importance of controlled production of foods such as unpackaged spices and raw milk, Arıcı said: "If food is unpackaged, it is, of course, exposed to contaminants from the outside. However, if these cannot be controlled, we are particularly concerned about risks such as mycotoxins and aflatoxins. That is why we prefer packaged food.”
Arıcı noted that food-related risks often emerge not through short-term effects but through mycotoxins that accumulate in the body over time and that these substances can build up in certain organs, leading to long-term toxic effects and serious diseases such as cancer.
Emphasizing that not only food selection but also preparation methods are important in food safety, Arıcı warned that harmful compounds may form in foods exposed to high heat and heavy smoke.
Explaining that caution is needed in cooking methods such as barbecuing, he said: "When meat is cooked over a barbecue, close to strong flames, it is exposed to heavy smoke. That smoke is from burning fat. As a result, substances called PAHs pass into the grilled meat and pose a health risk.”
Traceability, transparency
Highlighting the importance of transparency and traceability in food safety, Arıcı said that these features provide a significant advantage in terms of reliability, especially in packaged and processed foods.
He stressed the importance of knowing the origin of food products and said that the state is expanding traceability systems.
He noted that thanks to barcode systems, products can be scanned with mobile phones to access information about their origin and production process and emphasized that traceable products should be preferred.
Arıcı added that consumers should not neglect basic checks when selecting products and stated that packaged goods that are deformed, rusty, misshapen or swollen should definitely not be purchased or consumed and that suspicious products should be discarded without even tasting them.