Overview

• The Presidential Council for Agriculture and Food Policy is drafting measures to curb waste by replacing all-you-can-eat hotel buffets with à-la-carte ordering and per-portion billing.
• NGOs report that Turkey discards about 102 kilograms of food per person each year, a figure that exceeds many European peers and underpins the proposed reforms.
• Any binding regulation would require President Erdoğan’s approval and subsequent parliamentary legislation before hotels must alter their buffet services.
• Industry leaders, including the Turkish hoteliers’ association, warn that mandatory changes without a clear legal framework could unsettle the all-inclusive tourism model and guest expectations.
• Local restaurateurs and hospitality groups praise the plan as an economic and moral imperative to align Turkey’s tourism sector with global sustainability goals.