Does Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi A.Ş. support Israel?

We have not yet found publicly recorded donations from Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi A.Ş.. Absence of records does not confirm absence of support.

Filed under: Food & beverage brands · Household & consumer goods brands · Companies that support Israel

Background

No donations, sponsorships or statements supporting Israel by Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi A.Ş. are on record. Ülker is a Turkish company listed on Borsa Istanbul and controlled by the Ülker family's Yıldız Holding; it has no Israeli subsidiary, no Israeli shareholder and no documented export or distribution agreement with Israel. Two separate things are often mixed together in the viral claims. First: Ülker's parent group. Yıldız Holding consolidated Ülker, Godiva, United Biscuits and DeMet's into the London-based snacking company pladis in 2016, and Godiva chocolate — a pladis brand partly produced in Turkey — was on sale in Israel. Israeli reporting on the effects of Turkey's trade halt lists Godiva among the Turkish-origin products that disappeared from Israeli shelves, so that commercial supply ended with the embargo. That was a sale of chocolate by a sister company of the group, not support for Israel, and not an act of Ülker Bisküvi A.Ş. Second: the 2023-24 boycott campaign inside Turkey. It was not triggered by any Israel trade finding at all. On 11 October 2023 Yıldız Holding board member Yahya Ülker posted a photo from a Starbucks branch; the post drew heavy criticism and was deleted, and in February 2024 a #ŞokBoykot campaign targeted the group's Şok Marketler chain for keeping Starbucks products on its shelves. Murat Ülker publicly rejected the accusations, saying the visit had taken place before the boycott calls and was being misrepresented as a show of support. Turkey halted all exports and imports with Israel on 2 May 2024; the Directorate of Communications states that no customs declaration for export to Israel has been registered since. Nothing in the record shows Ülker supporting Israel.

BakeryAndSnacks (Yıldız consolidates Ülker, Godiva, UB into pladis, 2016) Ynetnews (Turkish-origin products, incl. Godiva, leaving Israeli shelves) Yeni Şafak (Murat Ülker's response to the Starbucks accusations) Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications (statement on trade with Israel)

What we checked

• News & official statements — 2026-07-30
  Searched Turkish, English and Hebrew press for Ülker/Yıldız Holding donations, sponsorships, statements or trade involving Israel. Found no donation, sponsorship or supportive statement. The only Israel-facing commercial link found at group level is Godiva (a pladis brand) having been sold in Israel until Turkey's May 2024 trade halt. Ülker Bisküvi's own investor materials and KAP annual reports list Middle East, Central Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas as export regions, with no Israel operation disclosed.
• Nonprofit tax filings (Form 990) — 2026-07-30
  ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer search returned no Ülker or Yıldız Holding foundation filing US Form 990s. The family's philanthropy runs mainly through the Turkish Sabri Ülker Foundation, outside the US 990 system, so no Israel-linked grant data exists to review there.
• SEC filings — 2026-07-30
  Not an SEC registrant. Ülker Bisküvi is listed on Borsa Istanbul (ULKER) and its parent pladis is a private UK company, so the US filing system does not apply; there are no EDGAR filings to full-text search. Disclosure was checked instead through KAP (Kamuyu Aydınlatma Platformu) filings and the company's annual reports, which disclose no Israeli subsidiary or Israel contract.
• Federal election records (FEC) — 2026-07-30
  OpenFEC committee search returned no Ülker, Yıldız Holding or pladis corporate PAC. As a Turkish issuer with no US-listed parent it has no US federal political committee, so there are no disbursements to pro-Israel committees to review.
• Independent fact-checkers — 2026-07-30
  Cross-checked the viral Turkish claims in both directions. Ülker does not appear on BDS-aligned boycott lists as an Israel supporter, and no fact-checker has substantiated an Ülker–Israel donation or export claim. The Turkish boycott calls trace to the group's Starbucks connection (Yahya Ülker's October 2023 post and Şok Marketler's Starbucks shelves), not to any documented Israel transaction; Murat Ülker's public rebuttal is on the record.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-07-30

• BakeryAndSnacks (Yıldız consolidates Ülker, Godiva, UB into pladis, 2016) bakeryandsnacks.com
• Ynetnews (Turkish-origin products, incl. Godiva, leaving Israeli shelves) ynetnews.com
• Yeni Şafak (Murat Ülker's response to the Starbucks accusations) yenisafak.com
• Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications (statement on trade with Israel) iletisim.gov.tr