The 5th International Reliable Product Summit and Feed the Future Awards Ceremony, organized this year by the Reliable Product Platform under the theme “Local and National Heroes,” was held on September 29, 2026, at Crowne Plaza Istanbul Florya. Bringing together representatives from the public sector, business world, retail, food, agriculture, and academia, the summit also welcomed our University with the participation of our faculty members and students.
At the opening of the summit, speeches were delivered by Celal Toprak, President of the Reliable Product Platform; Davut Gül, Governor of Istanbul; Ali Kopuz, President of the Istanbul Commodity Exchange and Vice President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB); Hakkı Karabörklü, General Director of Product Safety and Inspection at the Ministry of Trade; and Umut Yiğit, Head of Agricultural Banking Marketing at Türkiye İş Bankası. The speakers emphasized that the reliable product approach encompasses the entire value chain, from production to the retail shelf, and highlighted the importance of efficient resource use and public-private sector cooperation.
As part of the summit, Assist. Prof. Serap Nazır, Head of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at our Faculty of Art and Design, served as a moderator during the career sessions. Moderated by Assist. Prof. Nazır, the session titled “Leadership, Personal Branding and Corporate Communication: Experiences from a Journey to Success” featured Nevin Özcan, Founder of Markasanat, as the guest speaker. Özcan shared her experiences and career journey in leadership, personal branding, and corporate communication, and answered questions from young participants.
Throughout the day, our students attended panels, special sessions, and workshops, providing them with the opportunity to hear from and connect with leading figures in the industry. They closely followed discussions by representatives from the public sector, business world, and civil society on current topics such as producer-consumer relations in retail, digital transformation and e-export, branding and effective communication, sustainability, and food awareness.
The day-long program featured sessions addressing a range of topics, including local retail, digitalization and e-export, the future of exports, brand communication in response to changing consumer expectations, waste management, and functional foods. The summit concluded with the “Local and National Heroes Awards” and Feed the Future Awards Ceremony, recognizing prominent figures in various sectors for their contributions to production, investment, and employment.
As Beykoz University Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, we will continue to take part in events that enable our students to gain closer insight into the industry and contribute to their career development.
This content was updated on 02/10/2026.