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A new era has begun for food businesses in Türkiye! Restaurants, cafés, patisseries and similar businesses are now obliged to transfer their price lists to an electronic system. With the “tare” practice for loose foods, QR-code menus and transparent pricing policies, consumer rights are being strengthened. You can read our article for the details!
With the “Regulation Amending the Price Tag Regulation” published in the Official Gazette dated 11 October 2025, a new obligation has been introduced that marks an important turning point for food businesses. From now on, businesses providing food service, such as eateries, restaurants, cafés and patisseries, will be obliged to transfer data on their price lists to an electronic system to be established by the Ministry of Trade. The data collected through this system may be shared with both public institutions and the public.
This regulation has been introduced to protect consumer rights, increase market transparency and prevent unfair commercial practices. In particular, in view of the price fluctuations, hidden charging practices and unregistered pricing policies that have increased in recent years, it can be said that the basic aim of the system is both to inform consumers and to create a regulatory effect in the market.
The amendment to the regulation is not limited to digital price submission; it also brings innovations in price labelling and presentation formats. Accordingly, it has now become mandatory for businesses to display price lists at their entrance doors and on tables. Price lists may be presented digitally via a QR code, but must also be shown physically if the consumer so requests. In this way, digitalisation will be made easier, particularly in areas with heavy tourist traffic, while the principle of transparency will also be preserved.
The sanctions for businesses that fail to comply with this regulation are also quite serious. In the event of a breach of the price tag and price list obligations in retail businesses, an administrative fine of TL 3,166 is envisaged for each breach. More serious violations, particularly in terms of excessive pricing practices, may result in fines of at least TL 143,930 and at most TL 1,439,300. In addition, deficiencies such as the absence of tariffs and price lists at the entrance or on the tables, failure to indicate the date of a price change, and failure to include non-price additional charges in the list may each be subject to separate sanctions, and a fine may be imposed.
The regulation entered into force on the date of its publication; that is, it has been in effect as of 11 October 2025. Although the text contains no express transitional provision, it is expected that preparations will be made before actual enforcement, taking into account factors such as the technical infrastructure, guidance publications and the adaptation of businesses during the transition to implementation.
Another important change concerns the “tare” practice. In the pricing of products sold loose, it has become mandatory to deduct the weight of the packaging or container in which the product is placed from the total. In this way, the consumer will pay only on the basis of the net weight of the product purchased. This regulation aims to put an end to the misleading weighing practices frequently encountered, particularly in the sale of loose foods.
Although the definition of products sold loose is not clearly set out in the text, products sold unpackaged and by weight are generally considered to fall within this scope. In this context, products such as fish, meat, vegetables, fruit and possibly nuts are considered highly likely to fall within the scope of the regulation in terms of the tare deduction requirement. However, since the legal text does not list them directly, Ministry guidelines should be awaited for a definitive interpretation.
The new regulation has also introduced an important innovation concerning discounted price practices. From now on, in discounted sales, the “previous price” will be based on the lowest price applied within the ten days preceding the date of the discount. For perishable food products, however, this period is shortened and the price immediately before the discount will be taken into account directly. In this way, the aim is to prevent unfair practices such as raising prices first and then lowering them under the name of a discount.
With these changes, it appears that the Ministry of Trade aims both to create a transparent pricing policy in favour of consumers and to facilitate the oversight of businesses. Thanks to the collection of price data in an electronic environment, the Ministry and the relevant institutions will be able to monitor price movements in the market regularly and detect sudden price increases or inappropriate pricing practices. Moreover, public access to these data will make price differences more visible and thereby contribute to strengthening an environment of fair competition among businesses.
Of course, with the implementation of the system, certain difficulties are likely to arise. In particular, for small-scale businesses, establishing the technical infrastructure necessary for transferring data to the electronic system may entail certain costs. In addition, comprehensive information and training activities will need to be carried out so that business operators can correctly understand and implement the new obligations.
Nevertheless, in the long term, this regulation is expected to benefit both consumers and businesses. Consumers will be able to review a business's prices through the system before going to it, and will thus have the opportunity to compare prices. For businesses, honest pricing policies will come to the fore, and practices such as unjust enrichment or misleading discounts will be easier to detect.
In conclusion, the regulatory amendment dated 11 October 2025 is an important step taken in the field of pricing transparency in Türkiye. The collection of price data in an electronic environment, the making of the tare practice mandatory and the objective definition of discounted prices will strengthen consumer confidence while also contributing to fair competition in the market. If properly implemented and supervised, this system will become an effective tool both in protecting consumer rights and in ensuring market stability.
Attorney at Law Yusuf Şimşek
