For restaurants and cafes, the menu is no longer just a list of items and prices. With the regulation guiding the food inspections of Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, businesses are becoming obliged to share the allergen content, calorie values and basic ingredients of the products they serve with their customers.

For businesses that reprint their paper menu every season, this may look like a serious burden. But the good news is this: the regulation also defines the most practical way to present this information. In this article we explain who the requirement started for and when, exactly what a menu must contain, and how a QR menu makes this compliance easier.

Quick note: Legislation and dates may be updated over time. The information below offers a general roadmap; for the current obligations that apply to your business, don't neglect to check the official announcements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and to consult an expert.

What Must a Menu Now Contain?

The regulation requires businesses to clearly state the following information on their menus:

Allergen information — the major allergens the product contains
Calorie value — a calorie declaration per portion
Basic ingredients — information on what's in the product
Alcohol and pork derivatives — a declaration of whether they are present
Meat origin — information on the type/origin of the meat

The aim is clear: so the consumer can make an informed choice, knowing what they are eating. Allergen information is vital especially for guests with food allergies.

What Are the 14 Mandatory Allergens?

In line with the European Union's food information framework (FIR 1169/2011), the regulation is based on 14 major allergen groups:

Cereals containing gluten (wheat, barley, rye, etc.)
Crustaceans
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soybeans
Milk (including lactose)
Tree nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, etc.)
Celery
Mustard
Sesame
Sulphites
Lupin
Molluscs

In addition, the regulation in Turkey requires a declaration of whether the product contains alcohol and pork-derived ingredients.

When Does the Requirement Start? (Implementation Timeline)

The obligation does not start for all businesses at the same time; a phased timeline is foreseen:

1 July 2026 — All information (allergen, calorie, ingredients) becomes mandatory for national chain restaurants.
31 December 2026 — Ingredient and allergen information becomes mandatory for businesses with three or more branches in the same province and for other businesses.
31 December 2027 — Calorie declaration also comes fully into force for other businesses.

So even if you are a small, single-branch business, the target date for allergen and ingredient information is approaching. Preparing now protects you from a last-minute rush and possible administrative penalties.

Inspection and Penalties

Enforcement is carried out by food inspectors attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Businesses that provide missing or incorrect information on their menus, or skip the allergen or meat-origin declaration, may face administrative penalties. For this reason it matters not only that the information exists, but that it is correct.

Good News: The QR Menu Is an Officially Accepted Method

Here is the most important point for businesses wrestling with paper menus: the regulation explicitly accepts a digital menu via QR code as a valid method for presenting this information.

So you don't have to try to fit all the allergen and calorie information onto a paper menu. Placing a small "Scan the QR code for the menu" prompt on the table and presenting this information in your digital menu is considered sufficient.

This turns the QR menu from merely a "modern convenience" into the most practical way to comply with the regulation. Adding allergen and calorie information to a printed menu clutters it and requires a new print run with every change. In a digital menu, this information sits neatly under the product and is updated with a single click.

How Does QResto Make Compliance Easier?

QResto was designed precisely to present the information this regulation requires. For each product:

an allergen information field — you mark the allergens the product contains.
a nutrition field — you enter the calorie and other nutritional information.
an ingredients field — you state the basic components.

This information is presented on the menu under the product, where the customer can easily see it. When you update the menu, the change is reflected instantly; no new print run is needed.

Completing Missing Information with AI

If filling in the allergen and nutrition information of dozens — sometimes hundreds — of products one by one intimidates you, QResto's AI support lightens that load. Starting from the product name, it generates suggestions for allergens, ingredients and nutritional values; you then review and complete them in bulk.

So instead of writing everything from scratch one by one, you move much faster by editing a ready-made draft. This saves a great deal of time especially for businesses trying to meet the implementation timeline.

Important: AI offers suggestions, but the business is responsible for the accuracy of this information. Calorie values in particular vary according to your own recipe and portion. Use AI as a starting point and be sure to verify the information against your own product before presenting it.

What Should You Do Now?

Determine your business type and target date. Depending on whether you are a chain, multi-branch or single-branch, your obligation starts on a different date.
Compile the allergen and ingredient information of your products. This is work to be done together with your kitchen.
Switch to a digital menu. A QR menu is both the officially accepted and the most practical way to present this information.
Keep the information up to date. If a recipe or supplier changes, the allergen information may change too; updating it in a digital menu takes seconds.

In Summary

Allergen and calorie information on menus is no longer a choice but an approaching obligation. This process, which begins in mid-2026 for chain businesses, will gradually cover all restaurants and cafes. The regulation's explicit acceptance of the QR menu makes switching to a digital menu the smartest step in terms of both compliance and convenience.

With QResto you can add allergen, calorie and ingredient information to your products, quickly complete the gaps with AI support and present your menu in a way that complies with the legislation. To start preparing today, you can try QResto free for 7 days — no credit card even needed.

Allergen and Calorie Requirements on Menus: What Should Restaurants Prepare For?