Ahmet Gül, who serves as a Food Inspector at the District Directorate of Agriculture, Necati Yaylalı, and Ali Gök, who is employed at the Tax Office, attended the panel. Speaking at the panel, which drew interest from tourism professionals, Gül discussed what should be considered when purchasing alcoholic beverages. Stating that the wholesale distribution licenses of suppliers can be queried, Gül added that wholesalers selling imported products must possess import permit documents. Emphasizing that attention should be paid to prices when purchasing alcoholic beverages, Gül expressed that businesses purchasing cheaper drinks should think twice. Stating that food inspectors cannot determine with 100% certainty whether a product is counterfeit during their inspections, Gül noted that the definitive result emerges through inspections conducted in laboratories affiliated with the Ministry of Health. Highlighting that bottle barcodes packaged in factories are standardized, Gül stated that barcodes applied manually are not standardized.
Speaking after Gül, Gök said that it is possible to understand whether a drink is counterfeit by looking at its bandrol. Stating that there are overt and covert security elements on the bandrol, Gök added that the production of counterfeit alcohol has been considered an administrative offense since May 15, 2008.
"MORE THAN 10 FIRMS MANUFACTURED ILLICIT ALCOHOL"
Answering the participants' questions after the panel, Food Inspector Gül said that empty bottles could either be used in a recycling project as a result of a protocol to be made with the municipality or could be destroyed by being broken.
To the question "What is the rate of counterfeit or illicit alcohol in our region?", Gül responded as follows:
"In the inspections we conducted within the district borders of Alanya last year, we determined that 10 firms manufactured counterfeit alcohol. Last year, more than 2 trucks worth of alcohol were seized in the district. There are still firms whose legal cases are ongoing. We would also like the penalties to be deterrent, but we are not the decision-making authority. We are only obligated to share the information that is notified to us."