Dr. Bülent Şık: “Access to clean food is a right for every child”

Bornova Municipality held a seminar titled “Children and Food Safety” for women producing in the city’s urban gardens. With the participation of Dr. Bülent Şık, the seminar addressed issues such as healthy nutrition, environmental risks, and child health. The seminar highlighted the impact of pesticide residues and contaminated production conditions on children, while Mayor Ömer Eşki emphasized that access to clean food is a fundamental right and shared details about the municipality’s support for agricultural production.

Bornova Municipality organized this important seminar aimed at women producing in the city’s urban gardens. The event covered topics such as food safety, poverty, healthy nutrition, and urban agriculture, and featured Dr. Bülent Şık, Secretary General of BAYETAV and public health expert, as the keynote speaker. Held at the Altındağ Atatürk NGO Campus, the seminar proved to be highly beneficial for the producer women and participants, especially at a time when access to healthy food is becoming increasingly difficult.

Child health under the shadow of poverty, chemical pollution, and systemic shortcomings

Dr. Bülent Şık drew attention to the food-related health risks that children face. He emphasized the destructive effects of pesticide residues, water and soil pollution, and lack of hygiene in production processes on children’s immune systems, stating:

“Children are much more vulnerable to chemicals as their immune systems are still developing. Production with contaminated soil and water leads to foods being tainted with toxic substances. Unfortunately, there is no systematic program in Turkey to prevent children’s exposure to toxic substances such as lead. Food safety is not just an individual concern, but a public responsibility.”

Mayor Eşki: “Clean food is not a privilege; it’s a right”

In his assessment of the seminar, Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki stressed that access to healthy food is a fundamental right for all citizens. He noted that they have taken concrete steps in this area through projects supporting urban gardens, local seed production, and rural development.

“Since the day we took office, supporting agricultural production and encouraging Bornova’s producers to grow healthy, clean food has been among our top priorities. Through our Ecological City Local Seed Center, we deliver heirloom seeds and seedlings to our producers. With the activities we organize in rural neighborhoods, we both promote production and strengthen solidarity for healthy living. Food safety is one of the most critical steps we can take for our children, who are our future.”

Awareness efforts for women producers will continue

This seminar, organized for women producing in Bornova’s urban gardens, stood out as an important awareness effort on sustainable agriculture, public health, and social solidarity. The municipality announced that similar informative meetings on various topics will continue.