Mentioning that food offered for sale on social media platforms other than corporate sites is out of control and this may harm human health, Food Science Specialist from Istanbul Gelişim University, Murat Doğan warns “Foods offered for sale on social media platforms may carry many health risks because of their production, transportation and storage processes.”
“BACTERIAS MAY CAUSE DEATHS”
Stating that many habits of people have changed with the COVID-19 epidemic, Dr. Murat Doğan says, “We have become able to buy food online. We see an increase of 66 percent in this type of shopping. There are some rules we need to be aware of when purchasing food on social media. We should check whether the food we are to buy is the right product in terms of food safety. The products must be labeled. The permits of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock must be complete. A wide variety of bacteria can grow in cheese made from raw milk. "The bacteria we call “clostridium botulinum” in canned products can even cause deaths."
“DO NOT RELY ON UNLABELED PRODUCTS”
Stating that it’s important to consider the production conditions of a product, whether the labeling is carried out or not and the storage conditions and the shipment process before buying food, Doğan continued his words as follows:
“We should not buy products from places we do not trust. We must make sure that it is brought in appropriate conditions during the shipping process. We should check if there is a cold storage. We must access company information very easily. While the animal is being treated with antibiotics in places without a Ministry permit, antibiotics inevitably pass into the milk of the animal. Consequently, we may end up giving our children milk with animal antibiotics in it. It is necessary to see the label well. One must not rely on products without label."
KÜÇÜK: SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BECOME A MARKET
Noting that there has been a significant increase in sales without coming face to face with the seller in other words remote sales during the epidemic period, President of the Consumers Association, Levent Küçük, says, “Social media has become a new market. Especially many people selling their own products are marketing. We do not know whether the food products we buy are safe or not. Unfortunately, there are also malicious fraudsters among those sellers on social media. Sometimes, promised products are not sent. There are even those who do not send any products. “Shopping on social media poses a great risk for consumers.”
“CAUSES THE STATE TAX-LOSS”
Pointing out that consumers should prefer companies whose corporate identity they can rely on, Küçük continued his speech as follows:
“Do not send money before the product arrives. Choose the option to pay at the door. Controlled delivery practices applied by cargo companies should be preferred. If the seller have a certificate, more reliable shopping is done. Buying food products that are not controlled is a big risk in itself. It is healthiest for them to prefer food that is inspected by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. Especially the sale of eggs, milk, cheese and butter in the market carry serious risks even if the salers provide them daily. There are also people who make unregistered sales. When we look at it in this sense, the state also has tax losses."
