Türkiye's AK Party is drafting a multi-article health package aimed at curbing public tobacco consumption and overhauling dietary supplement regulation. The proposed draft closes existing loopholes in public spaces while tightening state control over products tied to chronic health conditions.
Stricter Smoking Restrictions for Hospitality and Public Zones
The draft legislation targets the hospitality sector by ending the practice of converting outdoor patio areas into enclosed winter spaces using awnings, plastic partitions, and heaters. Under the new rules, businesses must build separate, independent open-air sections for smokers where food and drink service is barred. Establishments must also provide dedicated smoke-free zones within their outdoor seating.
Additionally, the draft expands public smoking bans to set perimeter buffer zones around key institutions. Tobacco use will be outlawed within a specific distance (measured in meters) outside hospital emergency rooms, schools, religious centers, and youth sports facilities.
Retail Enforcement and Unchanged E-Cigarette Ban
Retail regulations will focus on heightened age verification. Vendors will face increased penalties for failing to verify customer identification at points of sale. Officials clarified that the government is not considering birth-year smoking bans or complete sales bans for specific age groups. Furthermore, the country's complete ban on e-cigarettes remains in effect without exemptions.
Ministry of Health to Regulate Supplements and Sugar Caps
Beyond tobacco, the legislation shifts oversight of dietary food supplements from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to the Ministry of Health. Citing risks of kidney and liver damage from unregulated formulations, the Ministry of Health will serve as the sole authority managing formula limits, production licenses, label accuracy, and post-market tracking.
The proposal also introduces legal limits on added sugars and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in packaged beverages to combat rising obesity rates.
Due to upcoming parliamentary debates on foreign digital lodging platforms and the national budget running through late December, the health package is expected to reach the parliamentary floor in early 2027.
