Packaging Manufacturers’ Association reported that amount of foodstuff wasted due to non-compliant storage and sale conditions reaches to millions of tons every year and, in the Year of Pulses, made warnings about the product packaging required for consuming healthy pulses.  Attaching high priority to the prevention of wastes in Turkey in our era witnessing an imbalance between the population increase and food production, Packaging Manufacturers’ Association made warning about healthy pulses consumption in the Year of Pulses. Sadettin Korkut, Chairman Packaging Manufacturers’ Association (ASD), made remarks and said that, around the world, more than 800 million people are facing the reality of insufficient diet and the volume of foodstuff wasted due to non-compliant storage and sale conditions reaches to millions of tons every year. Point out that pulses with rich nutritional contents are important resources in food consumption, Korkut drew attention to the quantities wasted due to unhealthy conditions although pulses are very durable to store for extended periods. PULSES MUST BE PACKED TO PREVENT WASTES Korkut stated that 1 million tons of pulses are produced in Turkey and continued his words as follows: “Annual consumption of pulses is estimated to be 1 million 50 thousand tons. Approximately 35 percent of this quantity is packed. In other words, the volume of packed pulses sold at supermarkets and stores is lower than the half of consumption. Unfortunately, packaged pulses were introduced late in Turkey. Unpacked pulses are offered for sale in markets in large containers or barrels or they can be totally open. They are exposed to dust and pests and customers can touch the products. These are big hygiene problems. More importantly, it becomes impossible to trace the product origin. Contrary to the product labels, information given at racks is not reliable and accurate. We believe unpacked sales in markets correspond to 15% of total sales. Substantial part of the remaining 50% of consumption is off the record sales. That is the reason of our sensitivity and warnings.” TURKEY DOES NOT HAVE OPTION TO WASTE THE FOOD PRODUCED ASD Chairman Korkut stated that each food consumer must act with the awareness to prevent the wastage. “We do not have option to waste the food produced” said Korkut and added: “We would like to bring this issue onto the agenda with the occasion of the International Year of Pulses; naturally, it is important to produce this important food so we can meet the demand of our country. But it is not enough. We must select the right packaging in order to offer the product to the consumers in safe standards. Turkey does not have option to waste the food produced. Food products will not be wasted, they will end up on our tables when the right packaging materials are used. Turkey is among the top 10 countries in pulses production. Targets such as introducing the benefits of pulses, increasing the awareness and improving the production and trade potential will be attached priority in the International Year of Pulses using the motto ‘nutritious seeds for a sustainable future’. Product packaging must be kept on the agenda, public members must be enlightened and the importance of packaging must be told during these efforts.” Emphasizing that unpacked products are not sold in the developed countries, Kortkut said “Hygiene is the primary principle of packaging production. Packaging allows products to be prepared in a hygienic environment without touching by human hands. Consumption of packed products serve towards the goal of carrying products from field to the tables through a safe food chain”.