When cold goods travel in a vehicle without refrigeration, the question is about the container the load sits in. Articles 13 and 14 of Turkey's Food Hygiene Regulation set four conditions for it: it has to be cleanable, used for food only, made of material fit for food and able to have its temperature monitored.
Cleaning and food-only use
Article 13(1) requires vehicles and containers used for carriage to be kept clean and in good order and, where necessary, designed and built to allow adequate cleaning and disinfection. Cleanability is a design property: a container with sharp inner corners, a rough weld seam or a gasket that cannot be removed leaves dirt in the same place after every wash.
Article 13(2) adds that receptacles inside vehicles and containers are not used to carry anything other than food, because of the risk of contamination. A container that carried a paint tin in the morning cannot carry cheese in the afternoon.
Material and temperature
Article 14(1)(b) requires material and equipment in contact with food to be built so as to minimise the risk of contamination, made of material fit for that purpose, and kept in working order and well maintained.
Because the obligation moves from the vehicle to the container, in any decision about cold carriage in a standard vehicle the container's paperwork comes first.
Article 13(7) expects vehicles and containers, where necessary, to keep the food at suitable temperatures and to allow those temperatures to be monitored. In a closed container that means leaving a measuring point inside: a cable route, a slot for a recorder, or an arrangement that can be read without opening the lid.
| Condition | Where it shows on the container |
|---|---|
| Cleanability | inner corners, gasket, removable shelf |
| Food-only use | internal label and a rule of use |
| Material and upkeep | food-safe shell, repairable panel |
| Temperature monitoring | measuring point or recorder position |
For unpackaged food in liquid, granulate or powder form, Article 13(4) asks for one more thing: a receptacle set aside for food, marked in Turkish (a foreign language may be added), clearly visible and indelible, with the words meaning For Foodstuffs Only.
Article 14(1)(c) leaves non-returnable transport receptacles and packaging materials outside the cleanability requirement, so a single-use box is not expected to be washable.
