Fewer incorrect country of origin labels in Poland

10-3-2026

The amount of fruit and vegetables sold in Polish supermarkets with incorrect country of origin labels has fallen sharply since 2019

In July 2019, the Polish Trade Inspection Authority (TIA) inspected 96 points of sale belonging to 18 different chains. The trade inspection service found incorrect indications in 118 of the 1,162 batches examined and in almost a third of the shops. Subsequent inspections at a larger number of outlets revealed that in a similar number of cases and in a similar percentage of shops, the labelling was missing or incorrect.

In response, the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) fined two supermarket chains: Jeronimo Martins Polska, owner of the Biedronka chain, and Kaufland Polska Markety.

Biedronka/Jeronimo Martins was fined more than 60 million zloty (14.1 million euro) and Kaufland 13.2 million zloty (3.1 million euro). Kaufland has appealed against this.

In February of this year, a new regulation came into force. It stipulates that fruit and vegetables sold in shops must be labelled with the country where they were grown.

The measures appear to have had an effect. Recent inspections by the Polish Trade Inspection Authority (TIA) show that no more than 0.73 per cent of the batches checked were incorrectly labelled. (Source: fruitnet.com)