Controversy over popular fast food - EU examines objections to Turkish doner drive
The European Commission is examining objections from Germany against a Turkish initiative to protect doner meat as a traditional specialty. A commission spokesperson told the German Press Agency that the process aims to determine whether the objections are valid.
If they are, the body would initiate consultations to resolve the dispute. If no mutually agreeable solution is found, a committee of representatives from EU member states would have to deal with the case. It could then instruct the commission by majority vote on whether to grant the request or not.
The International Doner Association, based in Istanbul, has already applied in 2022 to include doner on the EU list of "guaranteed traditional specialties." If the request is granted, doner skewers would have to be produced according to uniform rules throughout the EU in the future. However, the preparation of doner dishes would not be affected. For example, it would not be regulated what kind of salad and sauce goes into a doner wrap.
Nevertheless, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture fears negative consequences for German producers and restaurants. It criticizes that the common use of veal and young beef, as well as turkey meat, for doner production would be excluded by the Turkish application.
The application states that doner should consist of meat from at least 16-month-old cattle or leg and/or shoulder meat from at least six-month-old sheep.
The only alternative would be doner made from chicken, which would have to be made from chicken breast and/or chicken legs. It would also be precisely regulated which ingredients are allowed for the marinade, how thick the meat slices should be, and how long they should be marinated.
The European Commission is currently evaluating Germany's objections towards Turkey's proposal to categorize doner meat as a traditional specialty, overseen by the European Commission. If deemed valid, further consultations and potential Majority Vote by EU member states could influence the eventual approval or rejection of this request.
